Southern Illinois University
28-21
SIUE
24-23
Matt Schark; Salukis Walk-off SIU Edwardsville in Extras
05/09/2023 | 9:21:00 | Baseball
The Salukis (28-21) have now walked off six times this season with Schark having three on his own.
Five Saluki hitters had multiple hits, while Ryan Rodriguez, Steven Loden, and Schark each knocked in two RBIs.
The Salukis took an early 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from Ryan Rodriguez and an RBI double from Steven Loden. Loden's 52 RBIs on the season rank second in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Schark added another RBI single for the Salukis, but SIUE (24-23) tied the contest up with three in the top of the third inning highlighted by a two-run home run from Avery Owusu-Asiedu.
Both pitching staffs settled in nicely until Ryan Rodriguez broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out double to put the Salukis up by one in the late stages.
Steven Loden added an insurance run with his 16th home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth, a mark which ranks second in The Valley and joins Gerry Miller for the third-most home runs in a single season in SIU history.
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the bases loaded, SIUE tied the game on a two-run single by Owusu-Asiedu. The Salukis loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning but were unable to score and the game headed to extra innings.
Schark continued his clutch hitting with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the tenth.
Paul Bonzagni (8-4) earned his eighth win of the season which leads The Valley. Saluki starting pitcher Easton Dermody was strong through six innings, allowing three runs, seven hits, one walk, and striking out seven.
Zeus Ponder (2-2) took the loss for SIUE after giving up the winning run in the tenth. He pitched 1.1 innings and allowed zero earned runs, four hits, one walk, and struck out one.
UP NEXT
The Salukis close out their home slate this weekend as Missouri State comes to town for a three-game series beginning Friday.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bonzagni, Paul (8-4)
L: PONDER (2-2)
Batting:
2B: BLOOMER 1
HR: OWUSU-ASIEDU 1
RBI: ORF 1 ; OWUSU-ASIEDU 4
Base Running:
RUNS: ORF 1 ; OWUSU-ASIEDU 1 ; SMITH, L. 1 ; BLOOMER 1 ; MIZE 1
SB: OWUSU-ASIEDU 1
Batting:
2B: Boucher, Pier-Olivier 2 ; Rodriguez, Ryan 1 ; Loden, Steven 1
HR: Loden, Steven 1
RBI: Rodriguez, Ryan 2 ; Loden, Steven 2 ; Schark, Matt 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Boucher, Pier-Olivier 2 ; Rodriguez, Ryan 1 ; Loden, Steven 1 ; Bandy, Nathan 1 ; Vallee, Mathieu 1
SB: Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1 ; Vallee, Mathieu 2
CS: Schark, Matt 1
HBP: Boucher, Pier-Olivier 1
