Southern Illinois University
5-0
Mercer
3-2
Saluki Baseball improves to 5-0, best start since 1967
02/26/2021 | 9:02:00 | Baseball
Playing in a made-for-offense ballpark, SIU (5-0) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Mercer (3-2) answered right back with two in the bottom half. But the Salukis kept their foot on the gas, putting up a four-run second inning highlighted by back-to-back homers by Nick Neville and Tristan Peters, and a run-scoring double by Philip Archer.Â
While SIU knocked out Mercer starter Jackson Kelly with that four-run second, SIU starter Mike Hansell settled in and put up five-straight zeros. Hansell earned the win after his quality start, allowing just the two first-inning runs in six innings.Â
Mercer, which opened the season by pitching three consecutive shutouts in its sweep of Jackson State last weekend, could not slow down Southern's offense. SIU hit seven home runs in the game. Nick Neville and J.T. Weber both had two-homer games. Philip Archer went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer, and five RBIs. SIU had 10 extra-base hits in the game.Â
SIU pushed its 6-2 lead to 10-2 at the seventh-inning stretch. Mercer's offense came alive and put up a five-run seventh, but SIU just kept hitting. Weber answered Mercer's seventh with a two-run homer in the eighth. The Bears again answered with two home runs in the bottom half of the inning, but the Salukis removed all hope for a Mercer comeback with a five-run ninth, highlighted by Archer and Weber hitting back-to-back homers.Â
UP NEXT: SIU has a chance to clinch the series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT, and Brad Harrison will take the mound for SIU.Â
NOTES: The 1967 team started 11-0. Other than that season, no other SIU team has started better than 4-0 until this year ... Ian Walters homered to extend his reached base streak to 26 games dating back to the 2019 season, and Philip Archer extended his reached base streak to 16 games dating back to last season ... SIU has won 10-straight games, dating back to last season ... SIU's school record for home runs in a game is eight, set in 1969.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hansell, Mike (1-0)
L: Jackson Kelley (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Walters, Ian 1 ; Archer, Philip 2
HR: Walters, Ian 1 ; Neville, Nick 2 ; Peters, Tristan 1 ; Archer, Philip 1 ; Weber, J.T. 2
RBI: Walters, Ian 2 ; Martin, Evan 1 ; Neville, Nick 4 ; Peters, Tristan 2 ; Archer, Philip 5 ; Weber, J.T. 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Walters, Ian 2 ; Martin, Evan 4 ; Neville, Nick 3 ; Peters, Tristan 2 ; Massaglia, Vinni 1 ; Archer, Philip 2 ; Weber, J.T. 2 ; Ulick, Austin 1
HBP: Martin, Evan 1 ; Archer, Philip 1 ; Ulick, Austin 1
Batting:
2B: Angelo DiSpigna 1 ; RJ Yeager 1 ; Brandon Michie 1
HR: Colby Thomas 1 ; Garett Delano 1 ; Ryan Archibald 1
RBI: Colby Thomas 1 ; RJ Yeager 2 ; Brandon Michie 2 ; Garett Delano 1 ; Ryan Archibald 1
SF: RJ Yeager 1 ; Brandon Michie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Colby Thomas 2 ; Angelo DiSpigna 2 ; RJ Yeager 1 ; Garett Delano 1 ; Ryan Archibald 1
HBP: Bill Knight 1 ; Collin Price 1
