How did you spend your Wednesday?

I haven't been much of an explorer lately, but I decided to do something with the boys since I was in charge of them for the evening. We went to the Illinois State vs. Sacramento State college baseball game.

Many small-town universities offer free admission to sports that traditionally are not well-attended. Outside of football and men's and women's basketball, Illinois State University, which I live fairly close to, opens their events to the public. From track and field to baseball to gymnastics, you're free to bring your family to watch competitive collegiate athletics at no charge. What's not to like about that?

Thankfully for me, I was able to find a row of seating that was enclosed. This helped me partially enjoy the game without worrying that my littlest would wander off (which he is very skilled at doing). The boys occasionally tuned in to the game, gave high-fives to the mascot, danced to music, and ran around within the confined space of this row of seats.

My littlest also took every opportunity to flirt with college students walking by us.

The Game

I was surprised to see that this matchup was aired live on ESPN+. There isn't a lot of interest in college baseball in this part of the country, but both teams are competitive and may be able to come out on top of their conference for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

ISU came into the game with a record of 21-15, 5-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Sacramento State entered the contest with an impressive 23-12 record that includes a win against UCLA.

The game was a defensive battle. In nine innings of play, there were a total of 11 hits between both teams, no errors, and 17 strikeouts. Thanks to a two-run home run in the bottom of the 5th inning over the right field fence, ISU pulled out a 2-1 victory. Sacramento State's only run was also a home run -- a line drive to right field that bounced on the top of the wall and over.

It was a lot of fun, and I plan to make at least another game or two with the boys before the season is over.