Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Wednesday, May 22
Normal, IL
3 P.M.
Southern Illinois University
25-28
1
at
4
Illinois State
33-22
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Southern Illinois
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
3
1
Illinois State
0
1
0
0
0
3
0
0
X
4
8
0
Illinois State holds down SIU, 4-1
05/22/2019 | 6:46:00 | Baseball
NORMAL, Ill. - MVC Pitcher of the Year Brent Headrick held Southern Illinois to one run in seven innings to lead the Redbirds to a 4-1 win in the MVC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field. SIU will play an elimination game against Missouri State at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Headrick took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Kenton Crawford broke it up with a one-out single. But SIU starter Mason Hiser pitched right with him; Illinois State had a 1-0 lead after five innings one a first-and-third steal in the second inning. The No. 2 seed Redbirds (33-22) finally got to Hiser in the sixth inning with a three-run sixth to push their lead to 4-0. Matt DeSomer relieved Hiser in the sixth and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, but SIU managed only one run in the seventh inning.
"We didn't play bad. We didn't do anything wrong. We played good defense and Mason pitched well," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "We could have gotten him earlier. He left a couple balls up in the zone, but he had 0-2 and 1-2 counts. Matt DeSomer threw well. You're facing the pitcher of the year, and we just couldn't solve him. He's good. He frustrates you because he's not overpowering, but he knows how to pitch. He takes a little off or puts a little on. He mixes speeds and doesn't give you a lot to hit. That's the story right there."
SIU (25-28) scored its run in the seventh when Alex Lyon drove home Will LaRue with a sacrifice fly. Aiden McMahan singled after that, and SIU had a runner on in the eighth and ninth innings, as well, but couldn't get another runner on to bring the tying run to the plate. SIU fell for just the third time all year when allowing four runs or fewer.
"You just tip your hat to (Headrick)," Henderson said. "I thought we took good swings. We thought all along, if we got the right guys on, we could throw one in the gap, but we just couldn't solve him."
Southern Illinois will face Missouri State in an elmination game against sixth-seeded Missouri State on Thursday morning at 11 a.m.
Headrick took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Kenton Crawford broke it up with a one-out single. But SIU starter Mason Hiser pitched right with him; Illinois State had a 1-0 lead after five innings one a first-and-third steal in the second inning. The No. 2 seed Redbirds (33-22) finally got to Hiser in the sixth inning with a three-run sixth to push their lead to 4-0. Matt DeSomer relieved Hiser in the sixth and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, but SIU managed only one run in the seventh inning.
"We didn't play bad. We didn't do anything wrong. We played good defense and Mason pitched well," SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. "We could have gotten him earlier. He left a couple balls up in the zone, but he had 0-2 and 1-2 counts. Matt DeSomer threw well. You're facing the pitcher of the year, and we just couldn't solve him. He's good. He frustrates you because he's not overpowering, but he knows how to pitch. He takes a little off or puts a little on. He mixes speeds and doesn't give you a lot to hit. That's the story right there."
SIU (25-28) scored its run in the seventh when Alex Lyon drove home Will LaRue with a sacrifice fly. Aiden McMahan singled after that, and SIU had a runner on in the eighth and ninth innings, as well, but couldn't get another runner on to bring the tying run to the plate. SIU fell for just the third time all year when allowing four runs or fewer.
"You just tip your hat to (Headrick)," Henderson said. "I thought we took good swings. We thought all along, if we got the right guys on, we could throw one in the gap, but we just couldn't solve him."
Southern Illinois will face Missouri State in an elmination game against sixth-seeded Missouri State on Thursday morning at 11 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Headrick, Brent (9-3)
L: Hiser, Mason (4-4)
S: Johnson, Colton (3)
Batting:
RBI: Lyon, Alex 1
SF: Lyon, Alex 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LaRue, Will 1
HBP: Walters, Ian 1
PO: LaRue, Will 1
Batting:
2B: Zouras, Nick 1
3B: Aeilts, Joe 1
HR: Parola, Derek 1
RBI: Parola, Derek 1 ; Butler, Joe 1 ; Zouras, Nick 1
SH: Butler, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Parola, Derek 1 ; Libman, Jordan 1 ; Butler, Joe 1 ; Peterson, Gunner 1
SB: Parola, Derek 1
CS: Zouras, Nick 1
HBP: Zouras, Nick 1
PO: Zouras, Nick 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball2.16.26 | Saluki Radio Basketball Podcast - at Drake
Tuesday, February 17
2.15.26 | Scott Nagy Postgame Presser vs. Bradley
Monday, February 16
Saluki Radio Basketball Broadcast - Bradley
Monday, February 16
2.15.26 | Kelly Bond-White Postgame Presser vs. Bradley
Monday, February 16