CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Indiana State Sycamore baseball team increased its non-conference winning streak to 16 games with a commanding 12-2 victory over the Xavier Musketeers on Tuesday afternoon at Hayden Field.
ISU is 18-3 in non-Missouri Valley Conference matchups this season. Overall, the Sycamores improved its record to 26-11, while Xavier dropped to 17-18-2.
Freshman Chris Jones (2-0), who was making his second career start, gave ISU 5 2/3 quality innings to earn his second win of the season. Jones allowed one run on three hits, while striking out five and walking just one. Senior Mitch Stetter made his third appearance in four games since returning from an injury to record the first save of his career. Stetter pitched the final 3 1/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits, while striking out a batter.
Offensively, ISU had no problem generating offense as it collected 10-plus hits for the 21st time this year.
Junior Michael Miller singled to lead off the first, stole second and scored on senior Kevin Egli’s sacrifice fly to give the Sycamores a quick 1-0 lead. ISU added on three more runs in the third on five hits to take a 4-0 advantage. In the inning, both Egli and senior Chris Hall had RBI singles.
ISU increased its lead to 12-0 before the Musketeers could cross home plate in the bottom of the sixth. The Sycamores scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh. Egli homered for the fourth straight game and his fifth in the last six games to highlight the three-run fifth.
Despite allowing two runs in the last four innings, Jones and Stetter allowed only five hits between them.
Egli continued to swing a hot bat as the senior outfielder went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs. Freshman Kyle Kolb entered the game as a pinch runner and collected a career-high two hits.
ISU will return to MVC play this weekend as it travels to Springfield, Mo. to take on the SMS Bears in a four-game set beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.