Tuesday, March 20
Edwardsville, Ill.
4 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
10-11
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SIUE
5-13
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Southern Illinois
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Photo by: Patrick Clark
Southern cruises to 8-3 win at SIU Edwardsville
03/20/2018 | 8:26:00 | Baseball
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois baseball team scored six runs in the second inning and cruised to an 8-3 win over SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday afternoon at Simmons Complex.
The Salukis (10-11) and Cougars (5-13) played in sub-40 degree temperatures with a strong crosswind blowing into the SIU dugout. SIUE took the early momentum when its starter struck out the side in the top of the first inning, and then the Cougars scored in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. But SIU answered with a six-run second inning and didn't look back.
"I'm really proud of our guys," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "We played in unpleasant conditions, and the wind was a factor. We took care of business and did what we needed to do."
Southern Illinois sent 11 to the plate in the second inning. Drew Curtis tied the game with a ground-rule double to score Logan Blackfan. Brad Hudson, who made his first career start, pushed home a run on a bases-loaded walk, and Nikola Vasic hit a sac fly. Southern tacked on three more two-out runs to blow the game open early.
SIU starter Mason Hiser had to leave the game after two innings due to elbow discomfort, but Southern's bullpen made sure the Cougars never threatened. Dylan Givens relieved Hiser and threw three innings, allowing only one run and earning his first Division I win. SIUE's biggest threat came in the sixth, when the Cougars started the inning with three-straight hits to score a run and chase Givens. Noah Farmer came into the two-on, no-out jam and got out of it unharmed.
Farmer struck out three over two no-hit innings, and Allen Montgomery pitched two perfect innings to close it out.
"Unfortunately, Hiser had some elbow issues, and we had to get him out of there, but our bullpen did a phenomenal job," Henderson said. "They threw strikes and made (SIUE) earn what they got. That's what you have to do when you have a big lead. All three of them (Givens, Farmer and Montgomery) did a great job for us."
The bottom third of Southern's lineup was outstanding. Mitch Fairfield scored two runs after a hit and a walk. Grey Epps had his first career three-hit game. Hudson laid down two perfect bunts and scored a run.
"I'm most excited about the bottom part of the lineup. They did a great job," Henderson said. "Grey Epps had his best day as a Saluki. Brad Hudson put a couple bunts down and put pressure on them with his speed. They made things happen before we turned it over to the top of the order."
SIU improved to 7-3 in its last 10 games heading into a weekend series against UC Irvine, who advanced to the College World Series in 2014. The Anteaters are coached by Mike Gillispie, an ACBA Hall-of-Famer who is retiring after the season. Gillispie won a national championship at USC and has more than 1,100 wins in his career.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited," Henderson said. "It's fun to play people you don't normally get to play. It's exciting to get a west coast team to come to Carbondale. They're a great program with great tradition, and it's a series a lot of fans have been looking forward to for a long time."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Givens, Dylan (1-0)
L: LLORENS (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Kopach, Connor 1 ; Curtis, Drew 1
RBI: Vasic, Nikola 2 ; Blackfan, Logan 1 ; Curtis, Drew 1 ; Hudson, Brad 1
SH: Hudson, Brad 1
SF: Vasic, Nikola 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Fugitt, Addison 1 ; Blackfan, Logan 1 ; Curtis, Drew 1 ; Fairfield, Mitch 2 ; Epps, Grey 2 ; Hudson, Brad 1
SB: Epps, Grey 1
CS: Kopach, Connor 1
Batting:
2B: WEIMER 2 ; TURSI 1
HR: GOECKS 1
RBI: WEIMER 1 ; JACKSON 1 ; GOECKS 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GILTZ 1 ; WEIMER 1 ; GOECKS 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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