Southern Illinois University
3-7
Eastern Illinois
4-2
Baseball falls to Eastern Illinois, 5-1
03/04/2009 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
March 4, 2009
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University (3-7) was limited to a season-low three hits in a 5-1 loss to in-state rival Eastern Illinois (4-2) earlier today at Abe Martin Field.
EIU snapped a four-game losing streak against SIU, and beat the Salukis in Carbondale for the first time since 1997.
The Saluki offense, which has combined for just 10 hits in its last 18 innings, was held to three hits in a game for the first time in three years.
"Our pitch selection offensively was terrible," said Saluki associate head coach Ken Henderson. "We'd look at strikes and swing at balls. We need to work on correcting those things."
EIU took a 1-0 lead on a two-out RBI-single by Richie Derbak in the top of the fourth.
SIU quickly answered to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning when Michael Stalter led off with a double and came around to score on consecutive groundball outs.
Stalter's double would be SIU's last hit until the bottom of the ninth.
Things could have been worse for the Dawgs, as the Panthers loaded the bases in each of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings. EIU managed to score four runs, while leaving 10 runners on base during that span.
Alex Gee's two-out single plated Gerik Wallsten in the fifth. Zach Skidmore reached on a bunt single and later scored with the help of an error and a wild pitch in the seventh. A two-out, two-RBI single by Jordan Kreke then polished off the 5-2 win in the eighth.
SIU only had seven baserunners on the day, one of which made it past second base.
Righthanded reliever Mike Martin (1-0) was credited with the win for EIU, as the Panther bullpen retired 16 of 21 Saluki hitters through five scoreless innings following Stalter's hit in the fourth.
Righthander David Kington (0-2) suffered the loss for SIU. He gave up two runs on nine hits in five innings. Kington also struck out four and walked none in his first start of the season.
Skidmore (4) and Derbak (3) teamed up for seven of EIU's season-high 15 hits.
Stalter accounted for two of SIU's three hits.
SIU hosts Northern Illinois in a three-game series, beginning Friday at 2 p.m., CT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: MARTIN, Mike (1-0)
L: Kington, David (0-2)
Batting:
2B: KREKE, Jordan 1
RBI: GEE, Alex 1 ; KREKE, Jordan 2 ; DERBAK, Richie 1
SH: LINDQUIST, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TOKARZ, Jordan 1 ; SKIDMORE, Zach 2 ; KREKE, Jordan 1 ; WALLSTEN, Gerik 1
HBP: NOMMENSEN, Brett 2
Batting:
2B: Stalter, Michael 1
RBI: Dutton, Wade 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stalter, Michael 1
