Recap | Riffe Goes Career-Long and Bach Drives in Three as Salukis Clinch Series with Belmont, 7-3

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Seton Hall

NASHVILLE – Down two weekend starters on the mound, Southern Illinois baseball would get five strong innings of work from Ben Riffe and the Saluki offense would put pressure on the Bruins all day as SIU clinched the weekend series with Belmont with a 7-3 win Saturday at E.S. Rose Park.

Making his first career start on the mound, Riffe went a career-long five innings, allowing just three earned runs and four hits. The right-hander surrendered two runs in the first four innings of work and allowed his defense to work behind him as he improved to 2-2 on the season.

The Salukis (23-16, 7-7 MVC) applied pressure on the bases all game long, putting a runner on in all nine innings. SIU took advantage of an error in the first inning to jump out to an early lead. Belmont answered to tie the game in the second inning with an RBI groundout to tie the game.

It was the fifth when Southern notched two runs playing small ball. Jake Allgeyer and Cole Christman opened the inning with a walk and a single to run Belmont starting pitcher Dominic Baratta (3-3) out of the game. The Salukis would go ahead with an RBI groundout to third from Hesston Gray and a sacrifice fly from Bach to make it a 4-2 SIU advantage.

Riffe worked into the fifth before being lifted after a walk to open the frame giving way to reliever Easton Dermody.

The Salukis would not look back, adding a run in both the sixth and seventh innings before Bach delivered an insurance run in the ninth with his fifth home run of the season.

Dermody finished the game with three strikeouts in two and two-third innings before Anthony Pron converted his second save in as many days finishing off the final inning and third for the Salukis.

Four Salukis recorded multiple hits as Southern outhit the Bruins 11-7 in the game. Bach led all batters with three hits in the game while Vallee, Christman, and Trey Cutchen had two hits each.

UP NEXT
The series finale with SIU and Belmont is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPN Plus.

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