Friday, May 9
Carbondale, IL
6 PM
Southern Illinois University
33-16, 13-9
3
vs
6
Evansville
15-33, 9-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Evansville
0
0
2
1
0
2
0
1
0
6
12
1
Southern Illinois
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
9
0
Photo by: Abby Harris
Recap | Saluki Baseball Falls in Series Opener to Evansville, 6-3
05/09/2025 | 9:00:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois was unable to hold off a steady Evansville attack Friday night at Itchy Jones Stadium, as the Purple Aces pieced together timely hits and a pair of two-run innings to claim a 6-3 series opening win over the Salukis.
Despite home runs from Matt Schark and a multi-hit effort from Tim Simay, Southern (33-16, 13-9 MVC) saw its two-game streak snapped as Evansville (15-33, 9-13 MVC) out-hit the Salukis 12-9 and stranded just four runners over the final six innings.
Schark continued his power surge with a solo shot in the eighth - his team-leading 16th home run of the season - and added a single and two runs scored. Kaleb Hall went 2-for-4 with a double, while Simay recorded two singles in a 2-for-4 night.
Southern struck first with runs in each of the first two innings. Schark singled and scored on a John Lemm RBI hit in the first, and Gabe Petrucelli opened the second with a double before coming home on a groundout by Jaxon Holder to make it 2-0.
Evansville answered quickly, tying the game in the third on a two-run double from Kip McGinnis and grabbing the lead an inning later on a solo home run by shortstop Josh McConnell.
The Aces tacked on two more in the sixth with three straight hits and an RBI single from Ethan Howard, then added an insurance run in the eighth on another RBI from Logan Longmeier, who finished with two hits and three RBIs.
Southern had limited opportunities against Evansville starter Mike Deverman, who went seven innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits without issuing a walk. The Salukis hit into two double plays and left five runners on base. A double play in the eighth erased a potential rally after Schark's homer, and Southern went down in order in the ninth.
Alec Nigut (7-3) took the loss for SIU, allowing three earned runs over four innings. Dylan Petrey and Tanner Gerdes combined to finish the final five frames, with Gerdes striking out three but allowing an eighth-inning run on a pair of wild pitches and Longmeier's RBI double.
UP NEXT
The Salukis and Aces are set to return to action Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Itchy Jones Stadium. The game will air on ESPN Plus.
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.
Despite home runs from Matt Schark and a multi-hit effort from Tim Simay, Southern (33-16, 13-9 MVC) saw its two-game streak snapped as Evansville (15-33, 9-13 MVC) out-hit the Salukis 12-9 and stranded just four runners over the final six innings.
Schark continued his power surge with a solo shot in the eighth - his team-leading 16th home run of the season - and added a single and two runs scored. Kaleb Hall went 2-for-4 with a double, while Simay recorded two singles in a 2-for-4 night.
Southern struck first with runs in each of the first two innings. Schark singled and scored on a John Lemm RBI hit in the first, and Gabe Petrucelli opened the second with a double before coming home on a groundout by Jaxon Holder to make it 2-0.
Evansville answered quickly, tying the game in the third on a two-run double from Kip McGinnis and grabbing the lead an inning later on a solo home run by shortstop Josh McConnell.
The Aces tacked on two more in the sixth with three straight hits and an RBI single from Ethan Howard, then added an insurance run in the eighth on another RBI from Logan Longmeier, who finished with two hits and three RBIs.
Southern had limited opportunities against Evansville starter Mike Deverman, who went seven innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits without issuing a walk. The Salukis hit into two double plays and left five runners on base. A double play in the eighth erased a potential rally after Schark's homer, and Southern went down in order in the ninth.
Alec Nigut (7-3) took the loss for SIU, allowing three earned runs over four innings. Dylan Petrey and Tanner Gerdes combined to finish the final five frames, with Gerdes striking out three but allowing an eighth-inning run on a pair of wild pitches and Longmeier's RBI double.
UP NEXT
The Salukis and Aces are set to return to action Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Itchy Jones Stadium. The game will air on ESPN Plus.
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: Deverman,Kenton (3-5)
L: Alec Nigut (7-3)
Batting:
2B: Longmeier,Charlie 1 ; McGinnis,Cal 1 ; Flaherty,Matt 1
HR: McConnell,Drew 1
RBI: Longmeier,Charlie 2 ; McGinnis,Cal 2 ; McConnell,Drew 1 ; Howard,Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Longmeier,Charlie 1 ; McGhee,Jake 1 ; Peart,Brodie 1 ; McConnell,Drew 2 ; Howard,Drew 1
SB: Longmeier,Charlie 1 ; Howard,Drew 1
HBP: Rumsey,Ty 1
Batting:
2B: Gabe Petrucelli 1 ; Kaleb Hall 1
HR: Matt Schark 1
RBI: Matt Schark 1 ; John Lemm 1 ; Jaxon Holder 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Matt Schark 2 ; Gabe Petrucelli 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
dh
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF/INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
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