Southern Illinois University
Wichita St.
Baseball Splits with Wichita State
05/11/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
May 10, 2003
Carbondale, Ill. - All it took was three big hits and a key defensive play to determine a split between Southern Illinois (26-22, 17-12) and Wichita State (37-23, 15-12) earlier today in a doubleheader at Abe Martin Field. Tyler Schooley hit a two-out, game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Salukis a 4-3 win in game one, while a two-RBI single by Logan Sorensen and a three-run homer by Drew Moffitt helped lift the Shockers to a 11-6 come-from-behind win in the nightcap.
Six of the game's seven runs in game one came in the fourth inning. WSU rallied in the top half of the frame which began with a lead off single by Nick Blasi. With one out, Cody Clark walked and a Sorensen double drove in Blasi. J.R. DiMercurio then singled home Clark and Shawn Smarsh delivered a single to right center to score Sorensen, giving the Shockers a 3-0 lead.
In its at-bat in the fourth, Sal Frisella smashed a one-out, solo home run over the left field wall to spark SIU's speedy comeback. Following Frisella's homer, which tied him for first on the team (8) and fourth in his career (26), Toby Barnett singled to right and scored on an ensuing double by Greg Andrews. A Nathan Boldt single to right came shortly after Andrews' hit to tie the game at 3-3.
After starting left-hander Bryan Rueger was relieved by Marshall Tucker in the top of the fourth, the Dawgs were pretty much set pitching wise for the rest of the game.
Right-hander Tucker quickly went to work and allowed just one hit, while stiking out two in 3.2 scoreless innings. Tucker also retired eight straight WSU hitters before giving up his only single to Joe Muich in the top of the seventh.
With Tucker getting SIU to the seventh in an impressive fashion, all the Saluki offense had to do was step up, and it did in a huge way.
Pinch-hitter Josh Markle ripped a lead off single to center to start the bottom of the seventh. Ross Kowzan followed with a SAC-bunt that advanced Markle to second in another pinch-hit at-bat for the Dawgs. A wild pitch then put Markle on third, but Nick Baughman struck out for the second out the frame.
Despite Baughman's strikeout, P.J. Finigan walked to keep the rally going long enough for SIU's third pinch-hitter of the inning to come to bat. Schooley then dug in and belted a single to center which barely cleared Shocker shortstop Nick McCoola's glove to give SIU the dramatic 4-3 win.
Kyle Banick (3-2) suffered the loss for WSU after giving up a hit and a run in 1.2 innings of work. Meanwhile, Tucker (3-1) won the decision on the hill for SIU.
SIU's momentum carried over into game two, where the Salukis used a three-run fifth to take a 6-2 lead on the Shockers.
Already ahead 3-0 after scoring one run in each of the game's first three innings, Frisella led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and moved to second on a passed ball. With one out, an Andrews single moved Frisella to third.
A two-base error by second baseman Phil Napolitan came next, and scored Frisella, advanced Andrews to third and placed Boldt on second. A Markle grounder to the mound then brought home Andrews and a Schooley double to left center plated Boldt to push the Saluki lead to 6-2.
But the Shockers came alive late in the game to stun the Salukis with five runs in the seventh and four in the ninth.
In the top of the seventh, SIU starter Josh Joiner walked the bases loaded. Following Joiner's troubles, left-hander Eric Haberer entered the game to try and salvage the debacle, but things would only get worse.
Haberer gave up a two-RBI single to Sorensen and a three-run homer to Moffitt, and just like that, WSU had taken the lead, 7-6, as the Shockers scored five runs off just two hits.
SIU battled back in the bottom of the eighth, where it had runners on first and second with one out, but Kowzan lined into a double play. Shocker first baseman Sorensen made an outstanding snag on the play and touched the bag with his glove to cap off the twin killing.
From that point on, the Dawgs never recovered.
In the top of the ninth, a crucial error by Markle and doubles by both Blasi and Moffitt helped the Shockers deliver the final knock-out punch in the 11-6 win.
Haberer fell to 1-3 on the year after scattering three hits and giving up four runs in just 2.1 innings. For WSU, Noah Booth (3-2) also pitched 2.1 innings, but allowed just two hits, no runs and struck out three.
Offensively, SIU had 14 hits in the game and 13 were singles. Schooley helped lead the Dawgs going 4-for-5 with a double and a game-winning single on the day. Andrews also had four hits in the doubleheader.
SIU, who honored seniors Barnett, Kowzan, Frisella and Jake Alley in between games of today's twin bill, will conclude its series with WSU tomorrow at 1 p.m.
