Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Friday, April 25
Carbondale, IL
6 PM
Southern Illinois University
29-12, 0
9
vs
11
Illinois State
20-19, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Illinois State
2
4
1
0
3
0
0
1
0
11
14
0
Southern Illinois
0
3
0
4
0
0
0
2
0
9
12
3
Photo by: Madison Giltner
Recap | Lofton Drives in Seven as Salukis Fall to Illinois State in Series Opener, 11-9
04/25/2025 | 9:12:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Cecil Lofton slugged two home runs and drove in seven, but it wasn't enough as Southern Illinois fell short against Illinois State, 11-9, on Friday night at Itchy Jones Stadium.
Lofton had a remarkable offensive showing, going 3-for-4 with two homers, a double, and seven RBIs, powering SIU's attack throughout the game. His seven RBI mark was one shy of tying the program record. He delivered a three-run blast in the second inning to put the Salukis on the board, then added a two-run double in the fourth before hitting his second home run -- a two-run shot -- in the eighth to narrow the gap late.
Southern Illinois (29-12, 10-6 MVC) totaled 12 hits in the game, including a two-run homer from Jordan Bach, who finished 2-for-5. Tim Simay also contributed significantly, collecting two hits, scoring three times, and providing defensive stability in the infield.
Despite the strong offensive effort, defensive struggles hurt SIU, as they committed three costly errors -- all charged to third baseman Matt Schark. Those miscues led to four unearned runs for Illinois State (20-19, 10-6 MVC), which ultimately proved critical in the outcome.
Illinois State struck early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead through an inning and a half, sparked by a two-run homer from shortstop Shaydon Robinson and a two-RBI double from third baseman Kyle Gibson. Gibson paced the Redbirds' offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Robinson finished with three RBIs on two hits, including his ninth homer of the year.
The Redbirds expanded their lead to 10-7 after five innings, adding runs against SIU reliever Cole Koonce (2-1), who took the loss after allowing three runs in 1.2 innings. Dylan Petrey provided solid long relief, allowing just one run in 4.1 innings to keep the Salukis within striking distance. Saluki starter Alec Nigut went just 1.1 innings and allowed six runs -- three earned, on four hits. He struck out three and issued one walk.
Illinois State's Thomas Harper struggled as the starter, giving up seven runs in four innings, but reliever Tyler Rybarczyk (3-1) earned the win, tossing four innings and surrendering two runs on three hits. Closer Jacob Husak pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his fifth save of the season.
UP NEXT
The two squads take the field again on Saturday with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. Prior to the game, Saluki Athletics will honor alums who made their way back to Itchy Jones Stadium for Alumni Weekend.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X 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.
Lofton had a remarkable offensive showing, going 3-for-4 with two homers, a double, and seven RBIs, powering SIU's attack throughout the game. His seven RBI mark was one shy of tying the program record. He delivered a three-run blast in the second inning to put the Salukis on the board, then added a two-run double in the fourth before hitting his second home run -- a two-run shot -- in the eighth to narrow the gap late.
Southern Illinois (29-12, 10-6 MVC) totaled 12 hits in the game, including a two-run homer from Jordan Bach, who finished 2-for-5. Tim Simay also contributed significantly, collecting two hits, scoring three times, and providing defensive stability in the infield.
Despite the strong offensive effort, defensive struggles hurt SIU, as they committed three costly errors -- all charged to third baseman Matt Schark. Those miscues led to four unearned runs for Illinois State (20-19, 10-6 MVC), which ultimately proved critical in the outcome.
Illinois State struck early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead through an inning and a half, sparked by a two-run homer from shortstop Shaydon Robinson and a two-RBI double from third baseman Kyle Gibson. Gibson paced the Redbirds' offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Robinson finished with three RBIs on two hits, including his ninth homer of the year.
The Redbirds expanded their lead to 10-7 after five innings, adding runs against SIU reliever Cole Koonce (2-1), who took the loss after allowing three runs in 1.2 innings. Dylan Petrey provided solid long relief, allowing just one run in 4.1 innings to keep the Salukis within striking distance. Saluki starter Alec Nigut went just 1.1 innings and allowed six runs -- three earned, on four hits. He struck out three and issued one walk.
Illinois State's Thomas Harper struggled as the starter, giving up seven runs in four innings, but reliever Tyler Rybarczyk (3-1) earned the win, tossing four innings and surrendering two runs on three hits. Closer Jacob Husak pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his fifth save of the season.
UP NEXT
The two squads take the field again on Saturday with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. Prior to the game, Saluki Athletics will honor alums who made their way back to Itchy Jones Stadium for Alumni Weekend.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X 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: Rybarczyk, Tresdon (3-1)
L: Cole Koonce (2-1)
S: Husak, Joe (5)
Batting:
2B: Gibson, Kyle 1 ; Mastros, Graham 2
HR: Robinson, Shai 1 ; Pacella, Daniel 1
RBI: Gibson, Kyle 2 ; Robinson, Shai 3 ; Pacella, Daniel 1 ; Morris, Judah 1 ; Contreras, Daniel 1 ; Outlaw, Josh 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Gibson, Kyle 2 ; Robinson, Shai 1 ; Pacella, Daniel 1 ; Bakes, Brayden 1 ; Mastros, Graham 3 ; Contreras, Daniel 1 ; Outlaw, Josh 1 ; Stulga, Luke 1
SB: Mastros, Graham 2
CS: Stulga, Luke 1
Batting:
2B: Michael Mylott 1 ; Gabe Petrucelli 1 ; Tim Simay 1 ; Cecil Lofton 1
HR: Jordan Bach 1 ; Cecil Lofton 2
RBI: Jordan Bach 2 ; Cecil Lofton 7
Base Running:
RUNS: Jordan Bach 1 ; Michael Mylott 1 ; Gabe Petrucelli 1 ; Tim Simay 3 ; Cecil Lofton 3
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
7
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
Saluki Radio Basketball Broadcast - UIC
Sunday, February 01
1.29.26 | Saluki Radio Basketball Podcast - UIC (Elijah Crawford)
Friday, January 30
Saluki Radio Basketball Broadcast - UNI
Thursday, January 29
1.28.26 | Saluki Radio Postgame UNI - Rolyns Aligbe and Davion Sykes
Thursday, January 29