Krupinski's walkoff, Magill's RBI, Stinson' and Sears' hat trick culminate in extra-frames Indiana State win

Mar. 30—Facing a one-run deficit, Indiana State put its proverbial chips all in to try to close the game in the 11th inning against UIC.

Terre Haute's Division I baseball club trailed the Flames by a run in the 11th inning and ISU coach Mitch Hannahs said the usage of substantial relief from Simon Gregersen and Jared Spencer forced his hand.

It paid off as the cleanup hitters — third baseman Mike Sears and right fielder Parker Stinson — laid the lumber with a pair of hits to the warning track.

"Mike getting the knock to start the inning was really important," Hannahs said. "Obviously, Parker has been swinging really well so we didn't want to take the bat out of his hands and bunt. We wanted to try to end it that inning.

"We got to play to win right now," Hannahs added of that sequence.

Then with no one away, with senior Joe Kido pinch-running for Sears, second baseman Josue Urdaneta moved Stinson to third with a bunt.

Freshman Dom Krupinski stepped into the box and got enough contact to push a slow roller straight past the pitcher and Stinson slid head-first into home for the game-winner. ISU (20-5 overall, 4-1 Missouri Valley) won 9-8.

"Dom got to 2-0 and chased that 2-0 breaking ball, made it 2-1, and then another breaking ball and it kind of got caught," Hannahs said. "Fortunately, he made contact with it and it got by the pitcher, obviously if the pitcher gets it, it's probably [an] out. It's one of those plays that really worked in [our] favor."

Two moments Saturday put ISU in position to win in extras against UIC (16-9, 2-3).

They both belonged to ISU's most valuable contributor and the busiest — Grant Magill.

"It was just a great team win for us," the senior catcher said. "We had a lot of guys come through in big situations. There were so many moving parts to the game. There were some bad, some good. I just think the fight we showed is something we need to show for the rest of the season."

Magill took one for the team in the 11th frame that walked the walk as he put his body on the line behind the pitch and took a ball to his groin that had him down on the turf slightly writhing in pain.

"Just straight in the cup, worst-possible scenario, nothing worse than that," he said. "Probably one of the worst ones I've ever had."

His teammates and coach empathized with him.

"That's him, I've said it before — that young man was raised right," Hannahs said. "He's at his best when it's the toughest moment. We get down to our final strike, he's facing a guy throwing hard with a breaking ball. He stays in there."

Magill was less concerned for his body, but more fixated on Spencer's left arm.

"I had to take [the hit] there but I also knew in the back of my head that I couldn't sit there for too long or Jared was going to get a little stiff," he said. "I just had to take some deep breaths and get back into it. You never want to get hit there."

Magill got back in there and the end of the inning came with a Spencer strikeout.

"I think we all know that didn't feel too well," Krupinski said of Magill. "But glad he's OK and glad he was able to get back out there. It's scary."

Five Sycamores had multiple hits, with Sears, Stinson, center fielder Adam Pottinger (3 of 4), led the ISU's bats with three hits, apiece.

ISU gave up a run in the top of the ninth to fall behind 7-6.

In the bottom of the ninth the same sequence of batters, the middle of the order, were tasked with extending the game.

It began with a strikeout from Sears, who homered in back-to-back games and notched 3 of 6 hitting. Then Stinson followed him with a clip to shallow left field for a knock.

After a Urdaneta flyout, Krupinski had a two-out, 2-2 count single to the left side to extend the game.

Magill's at-bat decided the game. His pitch sequence — ball; foul over the first-base line; a strike, watching; a foul across the third-base line and then fly to center to knot the game.

"It was unreal, I mean that dude even last year in the playoffs it was an unreal showing for him," Krupinski said. "To just stay calm in those situations and get the job done. He's always a guy who's willing to do what it takes to help this team win."

Magill said being at the plate for that spot is ideal.

"That's the situation you always talk about that you want to be in," he said. "You want to be that guy, you want to get that chance. I've spent my whole time working hard so that when I do come up I can put out for the guys and be able to let us live another day."

In the 11th, stud closer Jared Spencer took down the first two hitters on a ground out and fanned the second.

After catcher Bassette was hit by a pitch near his ankle, the Flames went up for their final time as second baseman Ryan Nagelbach sent a screamer up the middle on a full count to plate Bassette.

Magill, one of six fielders who returned from last year's regional championship squad, lauded Krupsinki, a redshirt freshman, for his breakout moments.

"Dom is long overdue for this kind of opportunity," Magill said. "I knew he was going to put a ball in play. It was just a matter of whether or not we were going to be able to score.

"He puts in so much work. He's a great dude, he puts in a lot of work."

ISU will wrap up its series with UIC on Sunday with a noon first pitch, the Sycamores aim at a sweep after clinching a second Valley series to open the league slate.