Baseball Splits With Creighton, Wins Series 3-1

Sunday, April 25

Carbondale, Ill.

12:00 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

14-23-1, 8-10-1

Creighton

21-16, 10-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Creighton	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	10	0
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0

04/25/2004 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

April 25, 2004

Box Score

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Freshman Kevin Koski went 2-for-4 and drove in a go-ahead run in the seventh, while P.J. Finigan finished at 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored to lead Southern Illinois (15-23-1, 9-10-1) to a 7-4 win , as the Salukis split a doubleheader with Creighton (21-17, 10-5) earlier today at Abe Martin Field. The Bluejays won the first game by a score of 3-0.

SIU, who has won five of its last six games, won its series against CU, 3-1. The series win marked the Salukis' second against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent this season after last taking the four-game set against Bradley (Mar. 27-28), 2-1-1.

CU took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a two-out, RBI double by Chase Odenreider.

Bluejay starting left-hander Marc Lewis held SIU scoreless for its first three innings, as he allowed only one hit and struck out four en route to retiring nine of the Salukis' first 10 batters.

Despite Lewis' fine start, SIU came alive in the fourth, where it plated a pair of runs to take a 2-1 advantage. Finigan led off with a single to right and advanced to second on a Nathan Emrick grounder to first. Greg Andrews followed with a double off the wall in center, and Finigan scored. Shortly after taking third on a wild pitch, Andrews touched home on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Boldt.

CU quickly tied knotted the game at 2-2, where Tony Roth started a one-out rally with a double to left. Matt Daeges' ensuing single moved Roth to third, who would then score on a hit by Pete Wiedewitsch.

The Salukis answered the Bluejay threat with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on second and third after Cory Newman reached on a fielder's choice and Erik Alvarez doubled to center, Koski knocked in Newman on an infield single to second baseman Roth. Roth's throw in attempt to get Koski, sailed over Wiedewitsch's head and Alvarez scored on the error to give SIU a 4-2 lead. Roth, who awkwardly landed on his shoulder, was forced to leave the game after the play.

The two-run Saluki lead didn't hold up for long, as CU responded with a couple runs of its own in the sixth. Dan Norquist hit a one-out home run, Matt Hammer doubled down the left field line and Brad Dutton hit a RBI-triple to knot the game at 4-4, marking the second tie in six frames.

Moments after Jerel Deitering relieved starter Marshall Tucker and sat the Bluejays down in order in the seventh, Koski broke the 4-4 deadlock with a two-out single to center. Newman, who scored the go-ahead run on the play, doubled down the left field line prior to Koski's hit.

Finigan, who replaced Deitering on the mound in the eighth, ran into some trouble, as CU had runners on second and third with two outs. The native of Springfield, Ill., however, got Dutton to fly out to end the threat.

Still ahead, 5-4, the Salukis shook off the Bluejays' seventh-inning scare with ease in the eighth. Finigan and Emrick started things off with back-to-back doubles, before a third double of the inning, this time by Boldt, capped off a two-run attack which extended the Dawgs' lead to 7-4.

The Salukis' third relief pitcher of the game, Andrew Weber, took the mound in the ninth to close the door on the Jays. But not before, he hit two batters and issued a walk to give CU a golden opportunity. With two outs and the bases juiced, Weber settled down and forced Norquist to fly out to end the game.

Deitering moved to 2-0 on the year, while Weber picked up his team-leading fifth save.

Ted Ogilvie (0-1) suffered the loss for CU after giving up one hit and one run, while striking out two in 2.1 innings.

In game one, Eric Wordekemper pitched a magnificent complete-game, three-hit shutout.

Wordekemper no-hit the Dawgs in all but three innings of the game, while allowing just one hit in each of the first, fourth and sixth frames.

A RBI-single by Roth gave the Bluejays a 1-0 lead in the second. Roth's hit was one of four in the inning.

CU scored two more runs in the top of the fourth to make Wordekemper's outing shine even more. Dave Schultz singled and went to third on a double by Chris Gradoville. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Dutton and Roth would then drive home the runs to ice the 3-0 win.

Wordekemper evened his record to 3-3 on the year after striking out eight batters to just one walk in seven innings.

Saluki right-hander Jason Chavez took the fall and dropped to 2-3. Chavez gave up 10 hits and three runs, while issuing three walks and registering one strikeout in 6.1 innings.

On the day, CU out-hit SIU, 24-13.

SIU was led by Finigan who went 3-for-7 with a double and two runs scored in the doubleheader. Koski, Emrick and Newman followed with two hits apiece.

CU was topped by Roth who went 4-for-6 with a double, one run scored and two RBI.

Additionally, the Bluejays stranded a total of 36 baserunners in the four-game series.

SIU will have a week to rest up before hitting the road to face Illinois State in a four-game series beginning on Friday, April 30. First pitch of the series is at 6:30 p.m.