Southern Illinois University
24-18, 0
Illinois St.
15-23, 0
Salukis Run-Rule Illinois State in Series Opener
04/28/2023 | 8:37:00 | Baseball
The 11 runs were more than enough for Saluki starter Jordan Bloemer (4-0) who stayed undefeated dominating much of the contest. The lefty pitched 6.2 innings and allowed only one run on the night. He allowed five hits while striking out eight batters and issuing just three walks.
Matt Schark and Cole Christman each knocked in three runs to power the Saluki offense with Ryan Rodriguez tallying a team-high three base hits in the win.
RBIs from Pier-Olivier Boucher and Steven Loden put the Salukis up by two in the bottom of the first and SIU never looked back.
After a solo home run by Illinois State's Judah Morris, Schark brought Mathieu Vallee home with a sacrifice fly to keep the deficit at two.
Catcher Cole Christman extended the lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-run triple down the right-field line. Schark added another with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. All six of Schark's home runs have come at Itchy Jones Stadium.
The Salukis tallied runs in innings one through five, the run in the fifth coming on an RBI fielder's choice from Cole Christman.
After adding three in the bottom of the sixth, the Salukis held a nine-run lead heading into the seventh with a chance to walk the game off early. Schark came up clutch again with his second home run to give the Salukis a ten-run victory.
Derek Salata (3-5) took the loss for Illinois State. Shay Kubo and Greg Nichols each had two hits for the Redbirds.
UP NEXT
The Salukis and Redbirds return to the field Saturday with the first pitch set for 2 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Baseball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball, and on Instagram at @SIU_Baseball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bloemer, Jordan (4-0)
L: Salata, Derek (3-5)
Batting:
2B: Kubo, Shay 1
HR: Morris, Judah 1
RBI: Morris, Judah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Morris, Judah 1
Batting:
2B: Bandy, Nathan 1 ; Loden, Steven 1 ; Rog, Kaeber 1 ; Vallee, Mathieu 1
3B: Christman, Cole 1
HR: Schark, Matt 2
RBI: Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1 ; Rodriguez, Ryan 1 ; Loden, Steven 1 ; Rog, Kaeber 1 ; Christman, Cole 3 ; Schark, Matt 3
SF: Schark, Matt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bandy, Nathan 2 ; Eltoft, Bennett 1 ; Rodriguez, Ryan 3 ; Loden, Steven 2 ; Vallee, Mathieu 1 ; Schark, Matt 2
SB: Bandy, Nathan 1 ; Eltoft, Bennett 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1 ; Christman, Cole 1 ; Vallee, Mathieu 1
HBP: Eltoft, Bennett 1 ; Loden, Steven 2
