Normal, IL – Luke Bandy’s three-run homer capped a dramatic Dallas Baptist 5-run comeback in the eighth inning for a 9-7 win over Illinois State in a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament game Friday at Duffy Bass Field.
Bandy was 2-for-4 at the plate, driving in four runs and scoring two. DBU came back from 4-0 and 7-4 deficits, earning its fourth comeback win when trailing after seven innings. The game start was delayed two hours by rain.
The No. 1 seed Patriots (41-16) face the team emerging from the loser’s bracket for the tournament championship at 2 p.m. Saturday. The No. 2 seed Redbirds (34-23) play No. 3 Indiana State (38-16) at 9 p.m. Friday. This is DBU’s fifth championship game in six seasons.
It is the fourth-straight MVC tournament title game appearance for the Patriots, including five trips in six years as a member of The Valley.
Illinois State put up a 4-spot in the third. Derek Parola walked and went to third on Jordan Libman’s double. Joe Aeilts drove in Parola with a single and Joe Butler cleared the bases with a three-run blast over the left field wall.
Augie Isaacson led off the bottom of the third with a double, went to third on a ground out and scored DBU’s first run on Evan Sandmann’s sacrifice fly. The Patriots tied it up in the fourth as Bandy drove in a run with a double and Jackson Glenn plated two more with a double to tie the score at 4-4.
The Birds retook the lead in the fifth when Libman led off with a walk and Aeilts followed with a single, sending Libman to third. After one out, Gunner Peterson’s grounder was mishandled, allowing Libman to score. Nick Zouras followed with a single to right field that was misplayed, allowing Aeilts to score and giving ISU a 6-4 lead.
Parola’s solo home run in the sixth, his sixth of the season, put ISU ahead 7-4.
In the eighth, Jimmy Glowenke was hit by a pitch to get things started and Bryce Ball followed with a single. Mitch Vogrin replaced ISU starter Jeff Lindgren on the mound and gave up a single to Blayne Jones and a two-run double to Herbert Iser. That was all for Vogrin and Jacob Gilmore came on in relief to face Bandy, who hit Gilmore’s second pitch over the left-field wall to put the Patriots on top 9-7.
Jimmy Foust (5-0), the third of four relievers for DBU, got the victory, with Burl Carraway getting the save by pitching a perfect ninth inning. Vogrin (2-1) took the pitching loss for Illinois State.