THE RUNDDOWN
No. 25 DBU scored twice in the ninth inning to force extra innings for the second time in as many games Sunday, but Illinois State pushed across a run in the 11^th to salvage the final game of a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series. 

A walk and a single put runners at the corners for the Redbirds (11-15, 2-4 MVC). With the corner infielders playing in and the middle infielders at double play depth, Ryan Hutchinson grounded to short, but beat the relay throw to thwart the inning-ending double play and give Illinois State the walk-off victory. 

Tim Millard led off the top of the ninth for DBU (19-10, 2-1) with a single. Jimmy Glowenke added a single of his own with one out. With the Patriots down to their final strike, Hill Alexander drew a walk to load the bases. Evan Sandmann drove home Millard and Glowenke with a pinch hit single up the middle. 

The Redbirds struck first for the third time in the series, collecting three hits against Jordan Martinson in the first inning to plate the game's first run. The Patriots struck back in the second, as Luke Bandy doubled, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on Blayne Jones' sacrifice fly. 

Trevor Conn provided six innings of stellar relief for the Patriots on Sunday, striking out six batters and walking two. He allowed three hits and one unearned run. Illinois State regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a single, an error, a sacrifice bunt, and a wild pitch. 

The Redbirds added an insurance run in the eighth with a double, a wild pitch, and a sac fly. 

Heading into the ninth, DBU had managed only four hits on the afternoon, three of which came in the first two innings. Bandy's double was the Patriots' only extra base hit.

 THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots had won 13 straight games against Illinois State, dating back to the 2014 season.
- DBU fell to 2-1 in extra innings on the season.
- Sandmann's pinch hit appearance was his first at-bat since March 24. 

COACH DAN HEEFNER ON A DISAPPOINTING END TO THE SERIES
"I didn't think we played a complete game today. I thought we kind of coasted through the beginning of the game. Trevor Conn did an outstanding job, the way he held it there for so long. But I didn't think our approach at the plate was very good. I didn't think our intensity level was very good for the majority of the game."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
30 - Jameson Hannah extended his hitting streak to 30 straight games.
11 – Sunday's game was DBU's longest of 2018 by innings played.
15 – Devlin Granberg now has 15 multi-hit games on the season.

UP NEXT
DBU hosts Texas Tech on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Horner Ballpark.