Wednesday, March 15
Jonesboro, Ark.
4 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
9-7
4
at
2
Arkansas State
9-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Southern Illinois
0
0
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
6
0
Arkansas State
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
4
0
Saluki Baseball tops Arkansas State, 4-2
03/15/2017 | 8:45:00 | Baseball
JONESBORO, Ark. - The Southern Illinois baseball team scored three runs in the third inning and got outstanding efforts from six pitchers to beat Arkansas State 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon.
With four games on the schedule for the upcoming weekend in Champaign, Ill., SIU used six pitchers in the game. The bullpen limited the Red Wolves to only four hits in the game. Southern (9-7) struck out eight batters and turned two double plays to work around eight walks and two hit batsmen.Â
"We executed pitches when we had to," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "I wouldn't say we pitched great because we allowed too many free passes, but guys came back and executed pitches when they had to. That was crucial."
Arkansas State (9-7) struck first with a solo home run in the first inning. SIU missed a chance in the top half with runners on the corners with one out, but the Salukis scored three in the third inning to take a lead it would not relinquish.Â
Ryan Sabo and Ryan Smith were hit by pitches in the third, and Greg Lambert followed with a double to score Sabo. Nick Hutchins followed with a sacrifice fly, and Lambert scored on a Jake Hand single to give SIU a 3-1 lead.
"We didn't capitalize in the first inning; but the very next time we had an opportunity, we took advantage of it," Henderson said. "That was a big hit by Lambert to get us going, and we followed with two RBIs after that."
A-State got within 3-2 in the fifth inning after three-straight two-out singles, but Anthony Shimkus stranded the bases loaded with a big strikeout to get SIU out of that inning without any further damage.Â
Hand hit a double in the top of the sixth, and Dyllin Mucha gave SIU a big insurance run with a two-out RBI single up the middle.Â
"The best AB of the game was that one by Dyllin Mucha," Henderson said. "That was the best swing we took all day long. We had a 3-2 lead, and he expanded that. Two runs is a lot different than one. We allowed the leadoff guy to get on in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. But because it's a two-run lead, they can't sacrifice, and we turned some double plays."
With a runner on first and no outs in the bottom of the sixth, Arkansas State DH Winston Welch hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Saluki shortstop Will Farmer made a sensational diving stop and flipped the ball to second base from his back to start a 6-4-3 double play.
"I said Blackfan's play (at Memphis) was one of the best I'd seen. This one might have been better," Henderson said. "It took a high hop, and he flipped it backhanded off his back to Kopach, who turns it from there. That was a highlight-reel play, and it was crucial."
Alex Gutermuth came into a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh inning and induced another 6-4-3 double play, then pitched a scoreless eighth to hand the ball to closer Ryan Netemeyer, who secured his fifth save of the season in the ninth.
Gutermuth, a freshman, has now pitched 9.1 scoreless innings to begin his collegiate career. He has allowed only three hits and struck out eight so far in 2017.Â
"He's stepped up," Henderson said of Gutermuth. "Every time we've run him out there, he's been huge. He got the double play in the seventh and then shut them down in the eighth to hand the ball to Netemeyer. (Gutermuth) has been special all year."
The win was Southern's first mid-week win of the year. The Salukis improved to 9-7 ahead of a four-game weekend at Illinois. SIU is scheduled to play Toledo twice and Illinois twice at Illinois Field in Champaign this weekend.Â
The upcoming weekend will end a stretch of 17 road games in the first 20 games of 2017. After that, the Salukis play nine of the next 10 games at Itchy Jones Stadium.Â
With four games on the schedule for the upcoming weekend in Champaign, Ill., SIU used six pitchers in the game. The bullpen limited the Red Wolves to only four hits in the game. Southern (9-7) struck out eight batters and turned two double plays to work around eight walks and two hit batsmen.Â
"We executed pitches when we had to," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "I wouldn't say we pitched great because we allowed too many free passes, but guys came back and executed pitches when they had to. That was crucial."
Arkansas State (9-7) struck first with a solo home run in the first inning. SIU missed a chance in the top half with runners on the corners with one out, but the Salukis scored three in the third inning to take a lead it would not relinquish.Â
Ryan Sabo and Ryan Smith were hit by pitches in the third, and Greg Lambert followed with a double to score Sabo. Nick Hutchins followed with a sacrifice fly, and Lambert scored on a Jake Hand single to give SIU a 3-1 lead.
"We didn't capitalize in the first inning; but the very next time we had an opportunity, we took advantage of it," Henderson said. "That was a big hit by Lambert to get us going, and we followed with two RBIs after that."
A-State got within 3-2 in the fifth inning after three-straight two-out singles, but Anthony Shimkus stranded the bases loaded with a big strikeout to get SIU out of that inning without any further damage.Â
Hand hit a double in the top of the sixth, and Dyllin Mucha gave SIU a big insurance run with a two-out RBI single up the middle.Â
"The best AB of the game was that one by Dyllin Mucha," Henderson said. "That was the best swing we took all day long. We had a 3-2 lead, and he expanded that. Two runs is a lot different than one. We allowed the leadoff guy to get on in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. But because it's a two-run lead, they can't sacrifice, and we turned some double plays."
With a runner on first and no outs in the bottom of the sixth, Arkansas State DH Winston Welch hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Saluki shortstop Will Farmer made a sensational diving stop and flipped the ball to second base from his back to start a 6-4-3 double play.
"I said Blackfan's play (at Memphis) was one of the best I'd seen. This one might have been better," Henderson said. "It took a high hop, and he flipped it backhanded off his back to Kopach, who turns it from there. That was a highlight-reel play, and it was crucial."
Alex Gutermuth came into a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh inning and induced another 6-4-3 double play, then pitched a scoreless eighth to hand the ball to closer Ryan Netemeyer, who secured his fifth save of the season in the ninth.
Gutermuth, a freshman, has now pitched 9.1 scoreless innings to begin his collegiate career. He has allowed only three hits and struck out eight so far in 2017.Â
"He's stepped up," Henderson said of Gutermuth. "Every time we've run him out there, he's been huge. He got the double play in the seventh and then shut them down in the eighth to hand the ball to Netemeyer. (Gutermuth) has been special all year."
The win was Southern's first mid-week win of the year. The Salukis improved to 9-7 ahead of a four-game weekend at Illinois. SIU is scheduled to play Toledo twice and Illinois twice at Illinois Field in Champaign this weekend.Â
The upcoming weekend will end a stretch of 17 road games in the first 20 games of 2017. After that, the Salukis play nine of the next 10 games at Itchy Jones Stadium.Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McPheron, Austin (1-1)
L: Cahill, C. (1-2)
S: Netemeyer, Ryan (5)
Batting:
2B: Lambert, Greg 1 ; Hand, Jake 1
RBI: Lambert, Greg 1 ; Hutchins, Nick 1 ; Hand, Jake 1 ; Mucha, Dyllin 1
SF: Hutchins, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Ryan 1 ; Lambert, Greg 1 ; Hand, Jake 1 ; Sabo, Ryan 1
SB: Kopach, Connor 2 ; Lambert, Greg 1 ; Mucha, Dyllin 1
CS: Kengott, Jared 1
HBP: Smith, Ryan 1 ; Sabo, Ryan 1
Batting:
HR: Brown, J. 1
RBI: Brown, J. 1 ; Schrimpf, J. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bakamus, J. 1 ; Brown, J. 1
CS: Brown, J. 1
HBP: Schrimpf, J. 1 ; Howard, A. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
cf/rf
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
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