Southern Illinois University
24-20, 0
Illinois St.
17-23, 0
Salukis Drop Rubber Match in Twelve Innings
04/30/2023 | 4:51:00 | Baseball
The final six innings were a true back-and-forth affair as four ties and five lead changes resulted in an extra-inning thriller.
Jake Combs put together a solid start on the mound, pitching 5.1 innings allowing one earned run, four hits, one walk, and striking out four in the no decision.
Second baseman Steven Loden put the Salukis on the board first with a two-run home run, his thirteenth of the season which is good for third in The Valley.
Illinois State got a run back in the fourth, but an RBI single from Jack Rigoni put the Salukis back up by two after five innings.
The Redbirds then tied the game in the top of the seventh, but Pier-Olivier Boucher put the Salukis right back on top with a solo home run. His twelve home runs are tied for fourth in The Valley.
The back-and-forth continued as ISU took their first lead of the game after a two-run home run from Noah Rabin in the top of the eighth. Like every lead in this game, it was short-lived as Cole Christman tied the game up once again with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.
After a scoreless ninth, the contest was headed to extra innings. Both teams pushed across one run in the tenth and eleventh, but Illinois State put three on the board in the twelfth, highlighted by a two-run home run from Luke Cheng.
Loden and Boucher led the way for the Salukis offensively, with both tallying two hits and a home run.
Easton Dermody (2-2) took the loss for SIU. Erik Kubiatowicz (3-3) earned the win for Illinois State and Kolton Scherbenske notched his first save.
Illinois State's starter Jayson Hibbard pitched a no-decision but also put together a strong start. He pitched seven innings and allowed one earned run, six hits, and struck out two.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to the field on Tuesday night when they take on Southern Indiana at Itchy Jones Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 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: Kubiatowicz, Erik (4-3)
L: Dermody, Easton (2-2)
S: Scherbenske, Kolton (1)
Batting:
2B: Rasmussen, Auggie 1 ; Sokolove, JT 1
HR: Cheng, Luke 1 ; Pacella, Daniel 1 ; Rabin, Noah 1
RBI: Rasmussen, Auggie 1 ; Morris, Judah 1 ; Cheng, Luke 2 ; Pacella, Daniel 1 ; Rabin, Noah 3 ; Woltman, Tyler 1
SF: Rabin, Noah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Robinson, Shai 1 ; Rasmussen, Auggie 2 ; Cheng, Luke 1 ; Pacella, Daniel 3 ; Rabin, Noah 1 ; Stenger, Blake 1 ; Sokolove, JT 1
SB: Robinson, Shai 2 ; Rasmussen, Auggie 2
HBP: Rabin, Noah 1 ; Woltman, Tyler 1
Batting:
2B: Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1 ; Rigoni, Jack 1
3B: Bandy, Nathan 1
HR: Loden, Steven 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1
RBI: Loden, Steven 3 ; Christman, Cole 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 2 ; Rigoni, Jack 1
SH: Lyons, Nate 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bandy, Nathan 2 ; Loden, Steven 1 ; Vallee, Mathieu 1 ; Eltoft, Bennett 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 2
SB: Vallee, Mathieu 1 ; Christman, Cole 1 ; Eltoft, Bennett 1 ; Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1
CS: Loden, Steven 1 ; Rigoni, Jack 1
HBP: Lyons, Nate 1
