Saturday, April 26
Carbondale, IL
2 PM
Southern Illinois University
29-13, 0
14
vs
5
Illinois State
20-20, 0
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Illinois State
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
5
8
3
Southern Illinois
3
2
4
3
0
0
0
2
X
14
11
3
Photo by: Madison Giltner
Recap | Payne and Schark Lead Salukis Past Illinois State; SIU Evens Series with Redbirds
04/26/2025 | 5:45:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Matt Schark launched two home runs and drove in five while Jackson Payne tossed a gem out of the bullpen to lead Southern Illinois to a 14-5 victory over Illinois State to even the series on Saturday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium.
Schark, who finished the game 2-for-6, opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning and later added a three-run blast in the third, giving the Salukis (29-13, 11-6 MVC) early control of the Missouri Valley Conference matchup. His offensive outburst pushed his season home run total to 14, highlighting a strong afternoon at the plate.
The Salukis jumped on the Redbirds early, scoring three runs in the opening frame behind Schark's first home run and a solo shot by Michael Mylott.
Southern would have to look to the bullpen early as starting pitcher Meade Johnson went to the mound to start the second but was unable to continue after suffering an injury during warmup throws. That was when the Salukis turned to the bullpen in Payne, and he did not disappoint by throwing over four strong frames.
SIU added to their lead with two more runs in the second inning, extending their advantage to 5-0, before exploding for four runs in the third. Southern Illinois would lead by as much as 12-0 by the end of the fourth inning.
Jordan Bach also contributed heavily to the offensive showcase, collecting two doubles and two RBIs. He reached base four times, going 2-for-3 and drawing two walks. Mylott, who homered in the first, scored three runs and drove in another to complement the Salukis' balanced attack.
SIU starter Meade Johnson threw a scoreless first inning before giving way to Jackson Payne (3-0), who earned the win in relief. Payne provided 4.2 innings of effective pitching, striking out seven while allowing four runs - all unearned - on just four hits.
Despite Illinois State's rally in the sixth inning, scoring five runs aided by SIU errors, the Saluki bullpen stabilized quickly. Tanner Gerdes, Matt Irvine, and Blaine Harpenau combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to seal the win. Irvine struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth before Harpenau closed out the effort with a clean ninth inning, striking out one and allowing just one hit.
Illinois State starter Tyler Chadwick (2-3) struggled, taking the loss after allowing eight runs (six earned) on six hits over just 2.1 innings. Redbirds' reliever Logan Berger provided two scoreless innings in relief, but it was not enough to overcome SIU's early offensive explosion.
UP NEXT
The squads will take to the field for the series finale on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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.
Schark, who finished the game 2-for-6, opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning and later added a three-run blast in the third, giving the Salukis (29-13, 11-6 MVC) early control of the Missouri Valley Conference matchup. His offensive outburst pushed his season home run total to 14, highlighting a strong afternoon at the plate.
The Salukis jumped on the Redbirds early, scoring three runs in the opening frame behind Schark's first home run and a solo shot by Michael Mylott.
Southern would have to look to the bullpen early as starting pitcher Meade Johnson went to the mound to start the second but was unable to continue after suffering an injury during warmup throws. That was when the Salukis turned to the bullpen in Payne, and he did not disappoint by throwing over four strong frames.
SIU added to their lead with two more runs in the second inning, extending their advantage to 5-0, before exploding for four runs in the third. Southern Illinois would lead by as much as 12-0 by the end of the fourth inning.
Jordan Bach also contributed heavily to the offensive showcase, collecting two doubles and two RBIs. He reached base four times, going 2-for-3 and drawing two walks. Mylott, who homered in the first, scored three runs and drove in another to complement the Salukis' balanced attack.
SIU starter Meade Johnson threw a scoreless first inning before giving way to Jackson Payne (3-0), who earned the win in relief. Payne provided 4.2 innings of effective pitching, striking out seven while allowing four runs - all unearned - on just four hits.
Despite Illinois State's rally in the sixth inning, scoring five runs aided by SIU errors, the Saluki bullpen stabilized quickly. Tanner Gerdes, Matt Irvine, and Blaine Harpenau combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to seal the win. Irvine struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth before Harpenau closed out the effort with a clean ninth inning, striking out one and allowing just one hit.
Illinois State starter Tyler Chadwick (2-3) struggled, taking the loss after allowing eight runs (six earned) on six hits over just 2.1 innings. Redbirds' reliever Logan Berger provided two scoreless innings in relief, but it was not enough to overcome SIU's early offensive explosion.
UP NEXT
The squads will take to the field for the series finale on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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: Payne, Jackson (3-0)
L: Chadwick, Tyrelle (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Robinson, Shai 1 ; Outlaw, Josh 1
RBI: Mastros, Graham 1 ; Outlaw, Josh 2 ; Stulga, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Robinson, Shai 1 ; Morris, Judah 1 ; Bakes, Brayden 1 ; Mastros, Graham 1 ; Contreras, Daniel 1
HBP: Contreras, Daniel 1
Batting:
2B: Bach, Jordan 2 ; Holder, Jaxon 1
HR: Schark, Matt 2 ; Mylott, Michael 1
RBI: Bach, Jordan 2 ; Schark, Matt 5 ; Lemm, John 2 ; Mylott, Michael 1 ; Holder, Jaxon 1
SF: Bach, Jordan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bach, Jordan 2 ; Schark, Matt 2 ; Lemm, John 1 ; Mylott, Michael 3 ; Petrucelli, Gabe 1 ; Simay, Tim 2 ; Nelis, Cade 1 ; Holder, Jaxon 2
HBP: Lemm, John 1 ; Simay, Tim 1 ; Nelis, Cade 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
6
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF/INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
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