Southern Illinois University
15-23, 3-8
Indiana State
23-13, 10-3
Baseball swept by Indiana State, 10-5, 5-3
04/18/2009 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
April 18, 2009
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Southern Illinois University (15-23, 3-8) was swept in a series by Indiana State (23-13, 10-3) for the first time in 11 years when it dropped a doubleheader, 10-5, 5-3, Saturday at Sycamore Field.
ISU has won nine-straight Missouri Valley Conference games for its longest league winning streak since 1985. SIU, which was swept in conference play for the third-consecutive time, is on an eight-game Valley losing streak for the first time since 2001.
SIU returns to Carbondale to face Illinois State in a three-game series, starting April 24.
Indiana State 5, Southern Illinois 3
Bronco Lafrenz hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 5-3 come-from-behind win for Indiana State in the nightcap. SIU held a 3-1 lead after seven and a half innings before Lafrenz sent Sycamore Field into a frenzy.
Lefthander Jimmy Cornell, who made his first career conference start, was relieved by righthander Nathan Forer in the eighth. Forer, who was moved to the bullpen for the first time earlier this week, took the mound for only his second relief appearance.
Forer issued a four-pitch walk to Kyle Burnam and gave up back-to-back first-pitch singles to Brady Shoemaker and Luke Fieser. Just like that, ISU had the bases loaded with no outs. Lafrenz then dug in and crushed Forer's 2-1 offering over the left field wall to give ISU the lead.
Forer, who fell to 0-6 on the year, walked one, allowed four runs and gave up three hits on just 10 pitches.
The Salukis trailed by a run (1-0) before pushing across three runs to take the lead in the seventh.
Michael Stalter drew a one-out walk and went to second when Chris Serritella hit into a fielder's choice. Stalter and Serritella scored with the help of Aaron Roberts' single and a Sycamore error on the next play. Roberts later touched home when Sivertsen reached on a fielder's choice to give SIU a 3-1 lead. The Salukis went 32-consecutive innings without holding a lead in conference play prior to the seventh.
SIU threatened again when it loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. Roberts, however, grounded out to end the inning.
Righthander Matt Shelton (4-1) would then retire the Dawgs in order in the ninth to polish off his fourth win of the season. Shelton gave up three hits and struck out one in two scoreless innings out of the Sycamore pen.
Cornell yielded one run on four hits and struck out six in a career-long seven innings before leaving the game in the eighth.
SIU outhit ISU, 10-7, with Stalter going 3-for-3 with a run scored to lead the way. Stalter was one of seven Salukis to get a hit.
Lafrenz finished at 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI to lead ISU.
Indiana State 10, Southern Illinois 5
Indiana State scored five unearned runs in the sixth inning to key a 10-5 win in game one. The Sycamores capitalized on three errors to score seven unearned runs.
ISU led, 4-2, after five innings before sending 10 men to the plate in the sixth.
Luke Fieser led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Bronco Lafrenz reached on a two-base error by Saluki center fielder Chris Murphy and Joe Meggs grounded out to short, scoring Fieser.
The next five hitters reached base after that. Ben Ferrell doubled home Lafrenz and Ryan Strausborger knocked in Ferrell on a triple to left center. Strausborger touched home on a single by Kyle Burnam. Shortly after Brady Shoemaker walked, Nick Ciolli scored Burnam on a base hit to give the Sycamores a 9-2 lead.
SIU rallied late in the game once again, but came up short.
Tyler Bullock doubled, Jordan Sivertsen singled and John Brennan walked to load the bases with no outs in the ninth. Chris Murphy followed with a RBI-single to right, before Sivertsen and Brennan scored on consecutive fly ball outs to cut ISU's lead to 10-5.
Righthander Jacob Petricka (5-1) earned his team-high fifth win of the season. Petricka worked eight innings, allowing five runs and 10 hits. He also struck out four, walked three and threw 121 pitches.
Righthander Andrew Dunn (4-4) took the fall for SIU. Dunn gave up eight runs (six unearned) and eight hits in 5.2 innings. He recorded two strikeouts, as well. Dunn has allowed 11 runs in two career starts against ISU. Seven of those runs were unearned.
ISU registered 12 hits with the heart of its lineup accounting for seven. Three and four-hole hitters Shoemaker and Ciolli each had two hits, while Fieser turned in a game-high three. Shoemaker went 2-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored and one RBI. Ciolli went 2-for-4 with a double. and Fieser was 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI.
Bullock went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored to lead SIU. Murphy and Sivertsen followed with two hits each. The Salukis had a total of 10 hits.
Defensively, the Dawgs committed three errors for the second time in the series.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shelton, Matt (4-1)
L: Forer, Nathan (0-6)
Batting:
2B: Kelly, Mark 1
RBI: Roberts, Aaron 1 ; Sivertsen, Jordan 1
SH: Serritella, Chris 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stalter, Michael 1 ; Serritella, Chris 1 ; Roberts, Aaron 1
CS: Sanford, Chase 1
Batting:
2B: Lafrenz, Bronco 1
HR: Lafrenz, Bronco 1
RBI: Lafrenz, Bronco 4 ; Meggs, Joe 1
SH: Fieser, Luke 1 ; Kraemer, Koby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burnam, Kyle 1 ; Shoemaker, Brady 1 ; Fieser, Luke 1 ; Lafrenz, Bronco 2
CS: Caple, Ben 1 ; Kraemer, Koby 1
