Salukis take opener from Illinois State, 3-2

Friday, May 12

Carbondale, Ill.

6:30 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

24-26, 7-9

Illinois State

12-35, 1-15

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

05/12/2017 | 10:32:00 | Baseball

Box Score

By: By John Lock | SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois baseball team scored in the bottom of the eighth to grab a 3-2 win in the series opener against Illinois State on Friday night at Itchy Jones Stadium. Greg Lambert hit the go-ahead RBI double, and Chad Whitmer, Alex Gutermuth and Ryan Netemeyer combined to pitch the nine-inning gem.

"It wasn't the prettiest game of the year, but we found a way," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "We certainly pitched well enough to win. It wasn't our best offensive night, but we scratched out a few and made plays when we had to."

SIU (24-26, 7-9 MVC) got another quality start from Chad Whitmer. He allowed just two runs (one earned) in seven innings. In his last five starts, Whitmer is 3-0 with 45 strikeouts and a 2.11 ERA. Tonight, he scattered six hits and struck out six.

"He grinded that out," Henderson said. "He didn't have great fastball command. His slider was outstanding, which is what got him by. He had great command with the slider. When he got in trouble, it was with fastballs. He competed his rear end off, which he always does. He gave us seven complete innings with one earned run. He's been a great competitor for us. That's what you need your Friday guy to do. That's what you need your seniors to do. I'm proud of him for doing that."

SIU took an early 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings. Lambert started a two-out rally in the first inning with a double, and Jake Hand extended his hitting streak to five games with an RBI single. Hand has nine RBIs during his five-game hitting streak. In the third, Connor Kopach reached second on a two-base error and immediately stole third. The throw got away and Kopach scored.

The Redbirds (12-35, 1-15 MVC) clawed back with an unearned run in the sixth and another run in the seventh. SIU stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. Just when the game looked like it might slip away from SIU, Alex Gutermuth took over for Whitmer in the eighth and surrendered a leadoff walk. After that, Gutermuth swung the momentum back to SIU with a pair of strikeouts to put up a scoreless inning.

"He threw with confidence," Henderson said. "He got the punch out after the walk, and he looked like a new guy. He looked like the guy he was early in the year. He pounded the zone. He has great stuff. If he doesn't get himself in trouble, he's pretty good."

Ryan Smith smoked a ball to deep right center to lead off the eighth. Illinois State tracked it down but dropped the ball, and Smith, hustling all the way, ended up at third. Lambert came through with the go-ahead RBI double.

"He was seeing the ball well," Henderson said of Lambert. "He fouled off some pretty good pitches. All we needed was a fly ball, and he put a great swing on it and put the ball off the wall. That probably gets out of here if it's not for the heavy air."

Ryan Netemeyer collected his 15th save of the season--which tied him for the national lead in saves this year. Netemeyer struck out three in the scoreless ninth.The win snapped a six-game losing streak for SIU, a season high. The Salukis have now won six of the last eight meetings with Illinois State.

SIU has a chance to win the series over Illinois State for a third-straight year. Jamison Steege will start for SIU at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Regular Saturday starter Michael Baird will miss his first start of the season as a precautionary measure with a sore arm. SIU will honor its 11 seniors prior to the game. The Senior Day ceremony will start at 1:45 p.m.