March 11, 2018

Polley Dominates, Tofteland has two hhits, knocks in a run, as Sycamores Clinch Series Over Western Illinois

 
By Tim McCaughan
Assistant Director of Communications

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State baseball clinched a series win over Western Illinois Sunday afternoon at Bob Warn Field with a 2-0 combined shutout over the Leathernecks. With the victory, Head Coach Mitch Hannahs moved into third-place all-time in program history with 132 career wins, passing Rick Heller.

Southpaw Triston Polley and Ethan Larrison combined for the shutout of the Leathernecks, moving the Sycamores to 8-5 on the season while Western Illinois fell to 0-11.

Polley (3-1) went a career high eight and a third innings in the outing, striking out four batters and walking just two. The Leathernecks were able to punch through six hits on the afternoon, but the Avon, Indiana native worked around the runners each time. He retired eight-straight batters from the sixth to ninth inning en route to his third win of the season.

Larrison picked up his second save in as many days for the Trees, closing out the ninth inning after entering the contest with one on and one out. The right-hander allowed a hit and a walk but was able to hold the Leathernecks at bay to pick up his fourth save of the year.

It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Sycamores would even record a baserunner as Dane Tofteland ((Grand Prairie, Alta.) looped a soft liner out to center field to end the drought.

Indiana State would get things rolling in the bottom of the eighth though as Romero Harris was hit by a pitch to open the frame. Jordan Schaffer would enter as a pinch runner and move up to second on a sacrifice bunt from Max Wright before heads-up base running allowed the redshirt freshman to move to third on a wild pitch. 

Tofteland would put the Sycamores in the scoring column with his second hit of the afternoon on a single to the outfield before Washington, Illinois product Jarrod Watkins added an insurance run for the Sycamores two batters later with an RBI single to left field.