Late walks hand No. 16 Bears series opener over SIU, 7-5

Friday, May 5

Carbondale, Ill.

6:30 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

23-24, 6-7

Missouri State

31-14, 12-0

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

05/05/2017 | 10:07:00 | Baseball

Box Score

By: By John Lock | SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The No. 16-ranked Missouri State baseball team ran its MVC winning streak to 16 games with a 7-5 win at Southern Illinois on Friday night. SIU led 5-4 after seven innings but surrendered six walks over the final two innings, and the Bears capitalized with three runs to take the series opener.

SIU starter Chad Whitmer was outstanding for a fourth-straight start, striking out 12 in seven innings. MSU (31-14, 12-0 MVC) scored two runs in the second inning with a trio of seeing-eye singles and two more runs in the third inning with a hit-by-pitch, a single and a two-run double. After that, Whitmer struck out eight of the final 15 batters he faced.

"It was one of his better performances because he didn't have his best stuff," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "He went out and for all intents and purposes gave up two runs without his best stuff. He got better as the game went on and found it a little bit, but he wasn't as sharp, command-wise, as he has been. But he gutted it out and competed. I'm unbelievably proud of him for how hard he competed."

The Salukis (23-24, 6-7 MVC) trailed 4-1 after Missouri State's two-run third but immediately battled back to take the lead. Jake Hand hit a three-run home run to tie the game. Nick Hutchins re-started the rally with a single and moved to third on Will Farmer's double. Hutchins gave SIU a 5-4 lead on a passed ball.

"We smoked some balls. We had a good night, offensively," Henderson said. "I thought we did an awfully good job on offense, and other than that one inning, didn't have a lot to show for it. (Hand's) was obviously a huge AB to get us back in the game. He fouled some stuff off and competed until he got a pitch he could handle. I just thought all night long, until the last couple innings, we did a really good job on offense. We played well; we just didn't finish it."

Neither team scored again until Missouri State tied the game in the eighth without the benefit of a base hit. Southern walked the bases loaded, and the tying run scored on an RBI fielder's choice. Jacob Williams got a strikeout to limit the damage to one run in the eighth, but the Bears drew another walk and doubled off him to start the ninth. SIU closer Ryan Netemeyer came in, but MVC Player of the Year favorite Jake Burger hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly and Jack Duffy doubled in another run.

"You're not going to beat anybody (walking six in the final two innings), but you're certainly not going to beat a good offensive club," Henderson said. "They make you pay for those mistakes. You have to make them earn stuff. You can't put guys on in front of the big hitters, and that's what we did."

Dyllin Mucha drew a two-out walk in the ninth inning to bring the game-tying run to the plate, but he was Southern's only base runner of the final five innings of the game. Jake Fromson earned the win for Missouri State with two perfect innings, and Bryan Young earned his fifth save of the season in the ninth.

The second game of the three-game series starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at 4 p.m. CT in Itchy Jones Stadium.

"I told our kids, 'We played well. We did a lot of great things. There's nothing to hang your heads about. Show a lot of character and come back tomorrow to get after them again after a tough loss, because that's a game we in essence gave away,'" Henderson said.