Southern Illinois University
39-13, 15-4
Illinois State
19-29, 6-13
SIU wins at ISU, Magic number is 1
05/19/2022 | 8:45:00 | Baseball
Normal, Il. … Saluki Baseball lowered its magic number for clinching its first MVC regular season championship in 32 years to one Thursday when it rallied to beat Illinois St. 9-8 in Normal, Il. SIU (39-13, 15-4) leads Evansville, which won at home over Valparaiso Thursday, by one game with two games remaining. SIU needs one win in Friday's re-scheduled doubleheader to clinch a share of the MVC's regular season title and the top seed in the conference's post season tournament next week. Due to Saturday's weather forecast, SIU and ISU will now play the final two games of the series as a doubleheader Friday at 1pm.
"Our culture won this game," said SIU senior 2B Grey Epps post game. His three-run home run with one-out in the seventh inning also helped as it tied the game at 8-8. Epps' 11th home run of the season plated Kaeber Rog and Pier-Olivier Boucher and gave Epps 12 RBIs in his last 3 MVC games.
Nathan Bandy followed Epps' blast to left field with a single. Pinch hitter Darren Taylor followed with an RBI double to give SIU a 9-8 lead. It was Taylor's first MVC hit as well as his first MVC RBI.
Reliever Trey McDaniel made the lead stand up registering the final nine outs of the game for his fourth save of the season and the 32nd of his career. It was McDaniel's first MVC save of the season.
ISU grabbed a 6-2 lead with a five run fourth inning. Errors by Saluki pitcher Matthew Steidl and 1B J.T. Weber opened the door to four unearned Redbird runs. ISU sent eight men to the plate in that inning and registered four hits versus Saluki starter Tanner Lewis and Steidl.
SIU closed the deficit to one, 6-5, when it scored three in the sixth on a run scoring walk, a run-scoring wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Bandy.
However, ISU re-built the lead to 8-5 with two runs in the bottom of the sixth off Saluki winning pitcher Jordan Bloemer (2-1).
That set the stage for the Salukis' four run seventh inning.
An error by ISU RF Connor Olson and Ryan Rodriguez' RBI ground out gave SIU a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
ISU made it 2-1 SIU on a J.T. Sokolove RBI ground out in the bottom of the third inning.
With Thursday's victory, SIU needs just one win in Friday's DH at ISU or one Evansville loss to Valparaiso Friday or Saturday to clinch the Salukis' 8th MVC regular season title.
SALUKI NOTES: With Thursday's win, SIU's won a school-record seven consecutive MVC games … This is the first time SIU's posted consecutive winning MVC seasons (2021 and 2022) since the 2002 and 2003 seasons … The win was SIU's eighth consecutive victory overall. It is SIU's longest win streak since it opened the 2021 season with 14 consecutive victories … SIU has 79 combined victories over the last two seasons. It is the fourth most victories in consecutive seasons in school history. The school-record for wins in consecutive seasons is 87 set in 1973 (37) and 1974 (50) … SIU is guaranteed of its highest MVC finish, first or second, since it won the 1990 MVC regular season title … SIU has 30 MVC wins the last two seasons. There was no MVC season in 2020 (pandemic). SIU won 25 MVC games total from 2017-19 … Epps leads the Salukis as well as the MVC with 24 RBIs in MVC games-only this season … The Salukis are now 27-1 this season when they score the game's first run … McDaniel earned his first MVC save of the season and his first overall since March 23rd. He's had 6 victories since the March 23rd save vs. Arkansas St. McDaniel has 32 career saves, 7 shy of the school record-holder, Ryan Netemeyer … J.T. Weber failed to homer for a 5th consecutive game Thursday and he remains with 35 career home runs, one shy of the school record of 36 set by Robert Jones from 1983-86 … Kaeber Rog walked two more times Thursday and has walked 14 times in the last seven games.
Listen to Coach Lance Rhodes post game on Saluki Radio:Â https://siusalukis.com/watch/?Archive=6355&type=Archive
Listen to 2B Grey Epps post game on Saluki Radio:Â https://siusalukis.com/watch/?Archive=6354&type=Archive
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bloemer, Jordan (2-1)
L: Wyman, Colin (3-2)
S: McDaniel, Trey (4)
Batting:
2B: Weber, J.T. 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1 ; Taylor, Darren 1
HR: Epps, Grey 1
RBI: Rog, Kaeber 1 ; Rodriguez, Ryan 1 ; Epps, Grey 3 ; Jensen, Zack 1 ; Taylor, Darren 1 ; Hagedorn, Nick 1
SF: Rog, Kaeber 1 ; Hagedorn, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rigoni, Jack 1 ; Rog, Kaeber 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 2 ; Epps, Grey 2 ; Bandy, Nathan 2 ; Hagedorn, Nick 1
SB: Rigoni, Jack 1 ; Taylor, Darren 1
Batting:
2B: Gauthier, JP 2
RBI: Cheng, Luke 3 ; Gile, Nick 1 ; Sokolove, JT 3
SH: Nichols, Greg 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McCaw, Jake 1 ; Gile, Nick 1 ; Olson, Connor 1 ; Nichols, Greg 1 ; Gauthier, JP 2 ; Sokolove, JT 2
SB: Cermak, Ryan 1 ; Sokolove, JT 1
CS: Cheng, Luke 1
