Friday, April 30
Carbondale, Ill.
6 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
28-12, 7-10
3
vs
2
Missouri State
15-12, 5-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Missouri State
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
7
0
SIU
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
X
3
6
0
Photo by: Will Becque
Salukis take opener from Missouri State, 3-2
04/30/2021 | 9:12:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The SIU baseball team drove in all three of its runs with two outs and played error-free defense behind outstanding pitching in a 3-2 win in the series opener over Missouri State on Friday night at Itchy Jones Stadium.Â
"I'm really happy with a complete game," SIU head coach Lance Rhodes said. "We've been fighting it a little bit as a team, in terms of putting it all together. When you look at the pitching, one guy after another came into pressure moments and got out of them, cruised for a little bit, and then passed it along to the next guy. Defensively, that was probably one of the most complete games we've had. We ran down some balls in the outfield; we turned four double plays to get us out of innings. Offensively, we executed a game plan as well as we could ask. We were unlucky for the first four innings; we squared up some baseballs but didn't have a hit to show for it. I'm proud of the guys for hanging in there and not getting discouraged. It was one of those Friday games where you know the score will be low. Fortunately, we scratched across one more than they did."
The Salukis (28-12, 7-10 MVC) played well in every aspect of the game. Defensively, SIU was error-free and turned four double plays in the game's first six innings. Offensively, SIU had hard contact early, but right at people, until breaking through with a pair of two-out RBI singles in the fifth inning. On the mound, Mike Hansell, Tanner Lewis, Bubba Hall, and Trey McDaniel were all terrific.Â
"All sides of the ball came through," Rhodes said. "We scored just enough. The pitching came through, and the defense was great. Everybody was pulling on the same rope."
Missouri State (15-12, 5-4 MVC) also played clean baseball. The Bears played error-free as well defensively, including several rangy and diving plays that kept SIU's hard contact at bay and saved runs. MSU starter Logan Wiley pitched a quality start, allowing just two runs on five hits over six innings. When SIU finally broke through with its two-run fifth, Missouri State immediately answered with a run in the sixth.Â
SIU's two-run fifth was thanks to a pair of clutch hits. With two outs, J.T. Weber roped an RBI single into center field. Weber then stole second and scored on a Tristan Peters RBI single.Â
That sixth inning was the turning point. MSU hit a leadoff homer to get within 2-1. Then, the next two batters reached to put the potential go-ahead run on base with nobody out. With a 2-0 count on MSU star Jack Duffy, SIU reliever Bubba Hall was summoned from the bullpen and struck out Duffy on three-straight pitches, then induced a double-play to get out of the inning unscathed and keep SIU in the lead.Â
"He's thrown the ball extremely well for about four outings in a row," Rhodes said of Hall. "It has a different life to it when he throws his fastball right, and he has a really good breaking ball to go with it. He's given us a boost out of the bullpen with the way he's been throwing."
The game-deciding run was scored in the bottom of the seventh. With Weber on first base, Nick Neville worked a 10-pitch at-bat that included a rope down the right field line that was less than five feet foul. Neville was ultimately retired, but the Salukis finally caught some good fortune when Peters hit a similar line drive that landed right on the foul-line and got all the way into the corner. Weber scored from first to give SIU a 3-1 lead.Â
Hall was dynamic. After getting out of that jam in the sixth, he retired the side in both the seventh and eighth innings. After a leadoff HBP in the ninth, Rhodes went to closer Trey McDaniel. The first batter against McDaniel singled to put the potential go-ahead run on base with nobody out. MSU bunted the runners to second and third. McDaniel got a groundout that scored a run but kept SIU in the lead, 3-2. Then, with a 1-2 count on a pinch hitter, McDaniel threw a backdoor breaking ball that froze the hitter for strike three called, and the Salukis earned the series-opening win.Â
UP NEXT: The teams play a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Itchy Jones Stadium. Noah Farmer and Brad Harrison will take the mound for the Salukis.Â
NOTES: McDaniel is 7-for-7 in save opportunities this season and has now converted 12-straight save opportunities dating back to the 2019 season ... SIU is 19-6 at Itchy Jones Stadium this year, 24-6 at home under head coach Lance Rhodes, and 55-19 in its last 74 home games, dating back to 2018 ... Nick Neville extended his reached-base streak to 24-straight games ... J.T. Weber extended his hitting streak to eight-straight games ... All three of SIU's runs came with two outs.
"I'm really happy with a complete game," SIU head coach Lance Rhodes said. "We've been fighting it a little bit as a team, in terms of putting it all together. When you look at the pitching, one guy after another came into pressure moments and got out of them, cruised for a little bit, and then passed it along to the next guy. Defensively, that was probably one of the most complete games we've had. We ran down some balls in the outfield; we turned four double plays to get us out of innings. Offensively, we executed a game plan as well as we could ask. We were unlucky for the first four innings; we squared up some baseballs but didn't have a hit to show for it. I'm proud of the guys for hanging in there and not getting discouraged. It was one of those Friday games where you know the score will be low. Fortunately, we scratched across one more than they did."
The Salukis (28-12, 7-10 MVC) played well in every aspect of the game. Defensively, SIU was error-free and turned four double plays in the game's first six innings. Offensively, SIU had hard contact early, but right at people, until breaking through with a pair of two-out RBI singles in the fifth inning. On the mound, Mike Hansell, Tanner Lewis, Bubba Hall, and Trey McDaniel were all terrific.Â
"All sides of the ball came through," Rhodes said. "We scored just enough. The pitching came through, and the defense was great. Everybody was pulling on the same rope."
Missouri State (15-12, 5-4 MVC) also played clean baseball. The Bears played error-free as well defensively, including several rangy and diving plays that kept SIU's hard contact at bay and saved runs. MSU starter Logan Wiley pitched a quality start, allowing just two runs on five hits over six innings. When SIU finally broke through with its two-run fifth, Missouri State immediately answered with a run in the sixth.Â
SIU's two-run fifth was thanks to a pair of clutch hits. With two outs, J.T. Weber roped an RBI single into center field. Weber then stole second and scored on a Tristan Peters RBI single.Â
That sixth inning was the turning point. MSU hit a leadoff homer to get within 2-1. Then, the next two batters reached to put the potential go-ahead run on base with nobody out. With a 2-0 count on MSU star Jack Duffy, SIU reliever Bubba Hall was summoned from the bullpen and struck out Duffy on three-straight pitches, then induced a double-play to get out of the inning unscathed and keep SIU in the lead.Â
"He's thrown the ball extremely well for about four outings in a row," Rhodes said of Hall. "It has a different life to it when he throws his fastball right, and he has a really good breaking ball to go with it. He's given us a boost out of the bullpen with the way he's been throwing."
The game-deciding run was scored in the bottom of the seventh. With Weber on first base, Nick Neville worked a 10-pitch at-bat that included a rope down the right field line that was less than five feet foul. Neville was ultimately retired, but the Salukis finally caught some good fortune when Peters hit a similar line drive that landed right on the foul-line and got all the way into the corner. Weber scored from first to give SIU a 3-1 lead.Â
Hall was dynamic. After getting out of that jam in the sixth, he retired the side in both the seventh and eighth innings. After a leadoff HBP in the ninth, Rhodes went to closer Trey McDaniel. The first batter against McDaniel singled to put the potential go-ahead run on base with nobody out. MSU bunted the runners to second and third. McDaniel got a groundout that scored a run but kept SIU in the lead, 3-2. Then, with a 1-2 count on a pinch hitter, McDaniel threw a backdoor breaking ball that froze the hitter for strike three called, and the Salukis earned the series-opening win.Â
UP NEXT: The teams play a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Itchy Jones Stadium. Noah Farmer and Brad Harrison will take the mound for the Salukis.Â
NOTES: McDaniel is 7-for-7 in save opportunities this season and has now converted 12-straight save opportunities dating back to the 2019 season ... SIU is 19-6 at Itchy Jones Stadium this year, 24-6 at home under head coach Lance Rhodes, and 55-19 in its last 74 home games, dating back to 2018 ... Nick Neville extended his reached-base streak to 24-straight games ... J.T. Weber extended his hitting streak to eight-straight games ... All three of SIU's runs came with two outs.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lewis, Tanner (4-1)
L: Wiley,Logan (4-2)
S: McDaniel, Trey (7)
Batting:
HR: Baldwin,Drake 1
RBI: Baldwin,Drake 1 ; Hull,Mason 1
SH: Kotowski,Dakota 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Baldwin,Drake 1 ; Wood,Grant 1
HBP: Baldwin,Drake 1 ; Rolffs,Jaden 1 ; Wood,Grant 1
Batting:
2B: Massaglia, Vinni 1
3B: Peters, Tristan 1
RBI: Weber, J.T. 1 ; Peters, Tristan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Weber, J.T. 2 ; Martin, Evan 1
SB: Weber, J.T. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
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