Southern downs Valpo 6-2 in series opener

Friday, April 6

Carbondale, Ill.

1 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

16-13, 3-1

Valparaiso

8-17, 1-3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Valparaiso	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	7	1
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	2	X	6	10	1

Photo by: Will Becque

04/06/2018 | 6:21:00 | Baseball

Box Score

By: By John Lock | SIUSalukis.com

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CARBONDALE, Ill. - Michael Baird threw a complete game gem, leading the Saluki Baseball team to a 6-2 win over Valparaiso in the series opener. The Salukis won for the sixth time in the last seven games.

"Michael Baird was awfully good today, as good as he's been all year. That's where it started," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "He threw up zeros. (Valpo starter Jon Tieman) frustrated us, and Michael kept throwing up zeros until we could get something going offensively."

Baird struck out seven in the complete game. Valpo's ninth-inning two-run home run prevented Baird's second career complete-game shutout. He completed the win in just 100 pitches.

"They were aggressive," Henderson said of Valpo. "People do that to Michael because they know he's going to throw strikes. They swung at a ton of first pitches. People have done that all year, even going back to last year. He's not going to walk very many people."

For the first four innings, Tieman matched Baird, but the Salukis (16-13, 3-1 MVC) broke through in the fifth inning. Austin Ulick and Brad Hudson hit singles to put runners on the corner with one out. Nikola Vasic grounded into a fielder's choice to give SIU the lead.

"He was moving the ball around," Henderson said of Tieman. "He was running it in on us, and we just weren't getting good swings on him. I don't think it was anything to do with us; it's just a credit to him. We had to scratch things out. That first run was huge. That was the biggest one. It broke the ice a little bit."

SIU expanded the lead with three two-out runs in the sixth inning. Drew Curtis hit a two-out RBI double. Ulick followed with an RBI single, and Grey Epps pounded an RBI triple off the wall to push Southern's lead to 4-0. Curtis put the game out of reach with a two-run homer in the eighth inning.

"We haven't done a great job of this, but we did all that damage with two outs," Henderson said. "We put together three or four really good ABs with two outs to extend the lead, then (Baird) went back out and threw up more zeros."

SIU nearly played error free, and Southern's only error (in the ninth inning) was erased by SIU's season-best fourth double play of the game.

"We played really good defense," Henderson said. "We turned four double plays, and a couple of them were really nice. Another thing, Austin Ulick was really good behind the plate. I don't know how many sliders he blocked with two strikes. He kept them in front and completed the outs at first base. He did a great job of working with Michael today."

The Salukis improved to 13-5 in its last 18 games, 6-1 in the last seven games, and 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Valparaiso fell to 8-17 and 1-3 in the MVC.

"It was a good day," Henderson said. "Early on, it was frustrating; but guys, as we've done all year, kept grinding and kept battling at the plate until we found a way to get some runs in. It was a solid day, a very workmanlike effort."

SIU and Valpo play the second game of the season at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Itchy Jones Stadium. Lefty Jamison Steege will take the mound for SIU.