Baseball Loses to Illinois State, Splits Series

Sunday, May 2

Normal, Ill.

2:00 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

17-25-1, 11-12-1

Illinois State

16-25, 7-13

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Southern Illinois	1	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	7	1
Illinois State	0	1	0	0	1	3	0	0	X	5	9	4

05/02/2004 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

May 2, 2004

Box Score

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

NORMAL, Ill. - Pinch-hitter Nate Whitney's sixth-inning, two-RBI triple helped Illinois State (16-25, 7-13) overcome a two-run deficit and beat Southern Illinois (17-25-1, 11-12-1), 5-4, in the series finale at Redbird Field.

The series split marked SIU and ISU's 10th since 1982.

After a one-hour and forty-five minute rain delay, SIU capitalized on a ISU error to take a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

Lead off man Kevin Koski reached on a throwing error by shortstop Joe Peterson and stole second. Shortly after his steal, Koski came home on a one-out single by Nathan Emrick. ISU tied the game in the second with the help of a two-out error by Saluki first baseman Josh Markle. Luke Baughman delivered a lead off single and moved to second on a ground ball out by Nick Crist before scoring on the miscue.

Three doubles plated two more runs for SIU in the third. Finigan doubled to lead things off and went to third when Emrick reached on an error by Redbird starting pitcher Kyle Zaleski. Nathan Boldt and Grant Gerrard's two-base hits then knocked in the runs to give the Dawgs a 3-1 edge.

The Redbirds answered with another run in the bottom of the third, where Chris Shepherd led off with a single and went to second on a Jake Milligan walk. A passed ball by Emrick allowed each runner to advance and Shepherd would score on a Matt Standish grounder to short.

Trailing by two (4-2) after a third error led to a third Saluki unearned run in the sixth, where Whitney hit a two-out, two-RBI triple during the Redbirds' turn in the sixth. Whitney, who sent SIU reliever Bryan Rueger's first offering to the gap in right center, drove in Matt Bolt and Jeremy Pickrel (pinch ran for Joe Burke). Prior to that, Shepherd hit a run-scoring single as part of the four-hit attack.

Of the three hits by Bolt, Burke and Shepherd before Whitney's triple. Burke's proved to be the biggest, as it landed safely in right between second baseman Greg Andrews and right fielder Gerrard. If either of the two converging fielders could have caught the tough fly ball, the inning would have been over.

Marshall Tucker suffered the loss and fell to 1-8 on the season. He lasted 5.2 innings, where he gave up seven hits and five runs. He also struck out one.

Eric Theisen held the Salukis to just one hit and registered three strikeouts in 3.1 innings to pick up the win. Theisen moved to 3-4.

Offensively, Emrick and Boldt each had two hits to lead SIU, while Burke and Shepherd also had two hits apiece to top ISU.

ISU committed a total of 12 errors in the series and 14 of SIU's 18 runs were unearned. The Salukis also struck out a total of 33 times on the weekend, marking the second time this season SIU hitters whiffed on 33 or more occasions in a four-game Missouri Valley Conference series.

SIU returns to Carbondale for its final MVC series at home on May 7-9. The Salukis will host Indiana State in a four-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m. Seniors Andrews, Boldt, Markle, Tucker, Josh Joiner, Tyler Schooley, Nick Baughman, Jerel Deitering and Cory Newman will be honored in between games of Saturday's noon doubleheader.