Baseball swept in doubleheader against Creighton, 5-0, 9-8

Saturday, May 3

Carbondale, Ill.

4:00 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

25-20, 6-11

Creighton

30-15, 13-7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Creighton	0	0	1	0	1	4	0	1	0	2	9	14	3
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	2	1	8	10	1

05/03/2008 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

May 3, 2008

Box Score

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Creighton University (30-15, 13-7) swept Southern Illinois (25-20, 6-11) in a doubleheader earlier today at Abe Martin Field. The Bluejays shutout the Salukis 5-0 and hung on for a 9-8 win in 10 innings.

CU, which won its first series in Carbondale since 1996, scored two runs on a controversial call to win the nightcap.

Tied, 7-7, the Bluejays had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the 10th when T.J. Roemmich worked SIU reliever Daniel Wells for a 3-2 count. Wells tossed his next pitch over the inner half of the plate and umpire Ben Harlow raised his right arm in a way that appeared he was calling Roemmich out on strikes. SIU's infielders headed toward the dugout and catcher Tyler Bullock rolled the ball back to the pitcher's mound as if the inning was over. But, Harlow called a walk, and as a result, two runs scored.

SIU threatened one last time in its final at-bat. The Salukis loaded the bases with no outs, but only came away with one run. CU reliever Kevin Dooley forced Lou Johanns to hit into a double play and got Chris Murphy to groundout to first and nail down the bizarre 9-8 win.

The Salukis trailed, 7-1, but tied the game up with a pair of huge two-out home runs. Tyler Lairson launched his first career grand slam over the left field wall in the eighth before Mark Kelly sent the game to extra innings with a two-run homer in the ninth. Lairson became the first Saluki to hit a grand slam since Dean Cademartori did it against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 19, 2006.

Pat Venditte (6-2) was credited with the win after giving up five hits and a career-high six runs in 2.2 innings. Venditte also recorded six strikeouts, four of which came against left-handed hitters.

Dooley picked up his third save after tossing one scoreless inning.

Bryant George (1-2), who returned after taking a line drive off his left ankle at Northern Iowa (Apr. 26), suffered the loss. George allowed two runs on one hit in 2.1 innings. He struck out two, walked two and hit a batter, as well.

In game one, Jeremy Hauer threw 7.2 scoreless innings and Darin Ruf hit a grand slam to key the Bluejays' eighth shutout of the season.

An error and back-to-back one-out singles by Robbie Knight and Elliot Soto put Bluejays at every base before Ruf took Saluki starter Cody Adams deep over the center field wall to give CU a 4-0 lead in the third.

CU added one more run when Knight scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.

Hauer (8-2) also allowed seven hits, struck out two and walked none. Venditte then gave up one hit in 1.1 innings to polish off the combined shutout.

Adams (3-4) took the fall for SIU. He went the distance, striking out five and allowing five runs on eight hits. Adams, after giving up four hits in the fourth, scattered just two the rest of the way.

Offensively, CU pounded out 22 hits on the day, with half coming from Soto, Knight and Steve Winkelmann. Soto went 4-for-9 with two runs, Knight went 4-for-10 with five runs scored and one RBI and Winkelmann went 3-for-9 with a run, home run and three RBI.

SIU had 18 hits in the doubleheader. Kelly paved the way by going 5-for-9 with two runs scored, two doubles, a home run and two RBI.

The Salukis, who saw their four-game winning streak come to a disappointing end, have lost six-straight conference games at home. SIU last lost six consecutive league games at Abe Martin Field in 2000.

SIU and CU wrap up their series at 1 p.m., CST, Sunday. Both starting pitchers are to be announced.