Salukis sweep Leathernecks after 9-0 win

Sunday, February 28

Carbondale, Ill.

1:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

4-3

Western Illinois

0-6

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

02/28/2016 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 28, 2016

Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Another quality start from a starting pitcher and an offensive explosion powered Southern Illinois to a 9-0 win over Western Illinois on Sunday for the series sweep. It was the first three-game series sweep for the Salukis (4-3) since 2014 (Mississippi Valley State). The win also gave the Salukis back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2012 (IPFW).

Michael Baird pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits with a career-high nine strikeouts to earn his first career win.

"We feel really good about Michael and he is as good as anybody that we have," said head coach Ken Henderson. "To have him sitting there for us on Sunday is pretty special. He has thrown like that all year. His performance today was not surprising and he is going to be really good for us."

Baird got support early in the first inning, as Southern took a 1-0 lead over the Leathernecks (0-6). Connor Kopach caught the WIU defense off-guard, opening the game with a bunt single. A stolen base moved him into scoring position for Jake Hand, who hit a single into center field to score Kopach for the first run of the game.

The lead grew in the second and third innings, giving SIU a 4-0 lead. Kopach scored Will Farmer on an RBI groundout in the second, while Braden Mosley blasted an RBI double in the fourth to score Logan Blackfan. Mosley scored on a wild pitch to make it a four-run lead.

It was in the fourth inning that the Salukis put the game away, scoring five runs to push the lead to 9-0. Farmer opened the inning with a bang, hitting his first career home run. Back-to-back hits from Kopach and Hand set up Greg Lambert for a two-run double down the left field line. After a groundout advanced Lambert to third, Hunter Anderson picked-up his sixth RBI of the season with a double into left field. The final run of the inning scored on a Mosley RBI sacrifice fly into left field. Shutout innings tossed by Jacob Williams, Seth Hackett, and Mitch Townsend at the end of the game sealed the sweep for the Salukis.

It was a dominant series for the Saluki pitching staff. In the three games, Southern surrendered one run on 10 hits with 29 strikeouts and only six walks. The offense was just as impressive in the series against the Leathernecks. SIU scored 22 runs on 34 hits over the three-day period.

"I can't remember a weekend where we had three starting pitchers go out and do what our guys did this series," Henderson said. "The last two games we struck-out 21 batters and walked none from our starting pitchers. That is pretty remarkable."

Southern will look to keep its three-game winning streak going on Tuesday, as the Salukis host Southeast Missouri at 3 p.m. at Itchy Jones Stadium.