Baseball Bounces Back With 11-8 Win Over Indiana State

Sunday, May 9

Carbondale, Ill.

1:00 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

19-27-1, 13-14-1

Indiana St.

18-28, 10-14

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Indiana State	1	0	0	0	4	0	1	0	2	8	12	2
Southern Illinois	1	0	4	0	1	4	1	0	X	11	11	2

05/09/2004 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

May 9, 2004

Box Score

CARBONDALE - Matt Brewer hit a three-run homer, and P.J. Finigan broke out of a mini-slump with three hits -- including a key RBI triple -- helping the Southern Illinois University baseball team to an 11-8 win over Indiana State Sunday at Abe Martin Field.

With the win, SIU (19-27-1, 13-14-1) managed to split a four-game series with ISU and remains in sole possession of fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

One day after being held to just six hits in a doubleheader, the Dawgs bats awoke in a big way.

With the game tied at 1 with two on and two outs in the third, Brewer cranked a blast over the Stone Creek sign in left to give SIU a 4-1 advantage.

The Salukis added another run later in the inning -- and looked to be in control with ace Eric Haberer mowing Sycamore hitters down through four innings of work.

But ISU came up with a stunning two-out rally in the fifth, scoring four times to tie the game at 5. Sycamore No. 3 hitter Josh Prickett had the big blow -- a three-run double that was just fair over the third-base bag.

Jake Eigsti tied the game at 5 one batter later with an RBI single to left on a 3-1 fastball from Haberer.

With the momentum clearly in ISU's favor -- and SIU coming off a pair of frustrating losses Saturday -- it would have been easy for the Salukis to fold up the tents at that point.

But the Salukis got a nice pick-me-up from Finigan in their half of the fifth, and ISU had issues with the umpires and catching the ball the rest of the way.

Greg Andrews led off the Saluki fifth with an infield single; however, Nathan Boldt and Brewer both went down swinging directly afterwards, and SIU looked like it might go quietly.

But Finigan, who came into the day just 1-for-10 in the series, picked his teammates up by lining a triple into the right-field corner, scoring Andrews all the way from first to give the lead right back to the Salukis, 6-5.

The Salukis were then able to work out of a two-out jam in the sixth-- retiring Prickett this time -- as reliever Jerel Deitering got him to ground out weakly to Finigan with the bases loaded.

The Salukis responded with a four-run bottom of the sixth, featuring some unconventional -- but effective -- run producing.

Brendan Lutz led off the inning with a single, and an error on a Kevin Koski bunt put Salukis on first and second with nobody out.

ISU hurler Adam Lindsay was then called for two-straight balks, scoring Lutz all the way from second and moving Koski from first to third. The calls clearly rattled the Sycamores.

Nathan Emrick hit an RBI single moments later, and an error, walk and back-to-back wild pitches allowed two more runners to score, giving SIU a 10-5 cushion.

ISU got run back in the seventh, but the Salukis countered with a Nick Baughman RBI single in the bottom of the inning and were never seriously threatened until the ninth.

The Sycamores were able to scrape together two more runs that inning -- and managed to get the potential game-tying runner to the plate with two outs against Saluki closer Andrew Weber.

But Weber got Michael Miller to fly to center to end the game.

Andrews, who came into the series batting just .190 in MVC play, went 2-for-3 with an RBI Sunday and 6-for-12 in the four-game series. Emrick added two hits and an RBI in three at bats.

ISU (18-28, 10-14) was led by Eigsti, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI.