Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
28-19-1, 9-6
Missouri State
29-17, 3-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 0 |
| Missouri State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 1 |
Southern Illinois sweeps Missouri State with 14-8 win
05/08/2016 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Southern Illinois ended an impressive offensive weekend with a 14-8 victory over Missouri State on Sunday. The win gave the Salukis (28-19-1, 9-6 MVC) their first series sweep of the Bears (29-17, 3-11 MVC) since 2007.
"This was by far the best our offense has played this season in a two-game stretch," head coach Ken Henderson said. "Our guys had great approaches at the plate and the middle of our lineup was able to produce with runners in scoring position."
The offense started early for the Salukis, scoring three runs in their first two innings at the plate. Connor Kopach's lead-off double and a balk set-up Dyllin Mucha for an RBI groundout for the first SIU run of the game in the first inning. Drew Curtis and Nick Hutchins opened the second inning with back-to-back singles and were put into scoring position on a Ryan Sabo sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Kopach came through with a two-strike triple into right field to plate two more SIU runs.
Southern's offensive breakout continued into the middle innings, scoring 10 runs between the fourth and sixth innings. Logan Blackfan had the biggest hit during the stretch, hitting a two-out grand slam in the fourth inning.
With SIU pulling away with a 13-0 lead in the sixth, MSU's offense was finally able to answer back with offense of their own, cutting the Saluki lead to 13-6 entering into the eighth. The Bears rally fell short in the ninth, as Ryan Netemeyer finished the sweep for Southern.
The Salukis gave starter Michael Baird plenty of run support to help the sophomore earn his MVC-leading eighth win. Baird pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Baird's eighth win also matches the most for a Saluki since 2011, when Cody Forsythe pitched SIU to eight wins.
"I'm awfully proud of the way that Baird competed on the mound today," Henderson said. "He didn't have his best stuff today, but it is a sign of a great pitcher that he was able to battle through when he wasn't as sharp as he normally is."
It was a great offensive weekend for Southern in the series against the Bears. SIU scored 31 runs on 36 hits. Kopach had eight hits, while Blackfan had a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs in the series.
With the win, the Salukis are currently tied with Indiana State for second-place in the MVC. Southern will not return to action until Friday, when SIU plays another crucial MVC series, this time at Evansville.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Baird, Michael (8-3)
L: Knight,A. (4-2)
Batting:
2B: Kopach, Connor 1 ; Lambert, Greg 1 ; Blackfan, Logan 1 ; Hutchins, Nick 1 ; Sabo, Ryan 1
3B: Kopach, Connor 1
HR: Blackfan, Logan 1
RBI: Kopach, Connor 2 ; Mucha, Dyllin 1 ; Lambert, Greg 2 ; Blackfan, Logan 4 ; Curtis, Drew 1 ; Hutchins, Nick 3
SH: Sabo, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kopach, Connor 1 ; Mucha, Dyllin 2 ; Lambert, Greg 2 ; Blackfan, Logan 3 ; Smith, Ryan 1 ; Curtis, Drew 2 ; Hutchins, Nick 1 ; Sabo, Ryan 1 ; Farmer, Will 1
Batting:
2B: Burger,J. 1 ; Johnson,S. 1
HR: Johnson,S. 1
RBI: Jefferson,A. 1 ; Burger,J. 1 ; Johnson,S. 3 ; Graham,B. 1 ; Hovey,J. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Steinmetz,H. 1 ; Jefferson,A. 1 ; Burger,J. 3 ; Johnson,S. 1 ; Paulsen,J. 1 ; Ruff,L. 1
HBP: Burger,J. 2
