Southern Illinois University
26-11, 0
Valparaiso
7-21, 0
Salukis bounce back for 10-4 win at Valpo
04/24/2021 | 7:08:00 | Baseball
"It's nice to get a win again. Right now, we're fighting some struggles, whether that's offensively, on the mound, or even defensively," SIU head coach Lance Rhodes said. "We have to continue to compete like crazy while we're physically struggling. We have to win ugly for a little bit, and hopefully get back on track and playing better. For now, we need to continue to grind and compete like nobody's business while we're not playing as well."
Brad Harrison didn't have his best stuff but pitched masterfully around traffic all day. Valpo scraped out 11 hits against Harrison, but the fifth-year senior pitched into the seventh inning and allowed just three runs (two earned) in a quality start. Four times in the first six innings, Valpo got a leadoff single, and only one of those scored. Harrison stranded nine Valpo baserunners through six innings.Â
"You could tell he wasn't as sharp, but he still threw 6.1 innings without his A-game, which was huge," Rhodes said of Harrison. "Every pitch was stressful because they had so many guys on the bases. Every inning, it seemed like they had multiple guys in scoring position, and he stepped up and battled through. If we needed someone to step up, we knew we could count on Brad."
While Harrison kept Valpo at bay, SIU (26-11, 6-9 MVC) took advantage of its opportunities. Tristan Peters hit a two-run double in the third inning, and Philip Archer followed with a two-out RBI double to give SIU a 4-0 lead. Valpo (7-21, 2-9 MVC) got within 4-1 before the Salukis extended the lead late in the game. Ian Walters started a two-out rally in the sixth with a walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
J.T. Weber drove home a run with an RBI double in the seventh, and Walters gave the Salukis an 8-1 lead with a two-out, two-strike, two-run single later in the inning. Valpo got within 8-3, but Nick Neville hit a towering two-run homer in the eighth to remove all doubt. Valpo added a run in the ninth to set the final score at 10-4.
We got some clutch moments by Nick Neville and the middle of the order," Rhodes said. "It still feels like we're not clicking. Early in the year, the lineup felt like it was flowing and working off each other. Now, it's hit and miss, but that's just the way the game goes. We were spoiled a little bit early in the year with nine guys scorching hot. The lineup was flowing like crazy. Some guys are struggling with their timing on the mechanical side, and that makes it hard to get something steady going. We're striking out too much. We need to cut down strikeouts, put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense."
SIU won for the first time at Bauer Field since Valpo joined the MVC after losing five-straight.Â
UP NEXT: The final game of the four-game series is set for Sunday, with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Ben Chapman will take the mound for SIU.Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Harrison, Brad (6-0)
L: Fields, Colin (2-5)
Batting:
2B: Peters, Tristan 1 ; Weber, J.T. 1 ; Archer, Philip 1
HR: Neville, Nick 1
RBI: Neville, Nick 2 ; Peters, Tristan 2 ; Weber, J.T. 1 ; Archer, Philip 1 ; Walters, Ian 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Cleveland, Cody 1 ; Epps, Grey 1 ; Neville, Nick 3 ; Peters, Tristan 1 ; Weber, J.T. 2 ; Hudson, Brad 1 ; Walters, Ian 1
SB: Neville, Nick 1 ; Weber, J.T. 1 ; Hudson, Brad 1 ; Walters, Ian 1
HBP: Rask, Tony 1
Batting:
2B: Dent, Riley 1 ; Olive, Matt 1
RBI: Renfro, Brady 2 ; Johnson, Parker 2
SH: DiFederico, Angel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dent, Riley 2 ; Hannahs, Kaleb 1 ; Olive, Matt 1
CS: Dent, Riley 1
HBP: DiFederico, Angel 1
