Published: May 16, 2008 11:50 pm            

ISU baseball sweeps two from Illinois State

TERRE HAUTE — Hey look, pitching!

After struggling on the mound often this spring, Indiana State began its final Missouri Valley Conference baseball series of the season by sweeping a doubleheader from visiting Illinois State by scores of 4-0 and 11-1.

Junior left-hander Michael Manus may have saved his best for his final appearance of the season, throwing the second complete game of the season for Indiana State in the first game. In the second game, Indiana State jumped out to a 6-0 lead and then scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Redbirds in a game called by the run rule.

The two teams play the final game of the series at 1 p.m. today at Sycamore Field. It’s Senior Day for six Sycamores who will be honored at 12:45.

Manus, now 2-8 on the season, struck out 14 batters, becoming just the eighth Indiana State pitcher in the school’s 112-year history of baseball to strike out 14 or more batters in a single game. Dan Lazar set the Sycamore record with 16 strikeouts in a game against Indiana on May 19, 1965.

The Sycamores scored all the runs they needed to support Manus in the fourth inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on four straight hits with one out. Brian Jett belted his third home run of the season, a two-run shot over the right field fence, in the seventh.

Brady Shoemaker had a home run and a single in the game while David Brumagin had a double and a single, Chris Schmidt and Gary King two singles each, Brian Ramirez a home run, and Ryan Strausborger and Jett a single each.

        

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