Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saturday, March 21
Chicago, IL
2:05 PM
Southern Illinois University
9-11, 1-0
9
at
10
UIC
4-14-1, 0-1
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Southern Ill.
0
0
1
2
4
0
0
0
2
9
14
0
Ill.-Chicago
0
1
1
1
1
0
4
0
2
10
13
0
Troy Shepard pitches from the stretch in Southern's 6-3 loss to Southern Indiana Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Photo by: Abby Harris
McKenzie Records Seven RBIs, Flames Walk-Off Salukis to Sweep Doubleheader and Claim Series
03/21/2026 | 11:06:00 | Baseball
CHICAGO, Ill. - Despite seven RBIs on the day from Jacob McKenzie, Southern could not close out UIC and suffered two walk-off losses Saturday in Chicago.
Game One - UIC 10, Southern Illinois 9
After Friday's pitcher's duel, both teams flipped the script in game one, trading blows early. Jackson Dibble countered Alexander Wright's solo home run with his first of the season in the third inning. The Flames immediately went back in front, but Jacob McKenzie announced his arrival with a two-run home run in the fourth.
The Salukis seemingly grew tired of trading blows, as another UIC run in the fourth tied the game at three. In the fifth, Julio Guerrero retook the lead with a solo home run, his second of the season. Jaden Flores beat out an infield single with the bases loaded, and with two runners still in scoring position, McKenzie added two more with a single.
Dawson Hargrove helped the staff settle in the middle innings, giving up just one run on three innings pitched and helping his team hold a 7-4 lead heading into the final three frames.Â
In the blink of an eye, UIC brought the game within one as Jake Busson and Thomas Curry hit back-to-back home runs to open the bottom of the seventh.
In the midst of the critical snag from the SIU bullpen, three straight singles and a walk would tie the game, with a hit-by-pitch plating the go-ahead run. UIC ended the inning with five runs, facing three Saluki relievers.
A scoreless eighth from Charlie Miller kept the Dawgs within one at 8-7, setting up Jacob McKenzie for his third clutch hit of the game. His two-out RBI double scored Bryce Habuda to tie the game in the ninth.
With pinch-runner Kristian Sprawling on third, Kye Watson slapped a line drive that popped out of the third baseman's glove, giving him just enough time to beat the throw and for Sprawling to score the go-ahead run.
On the second pitch of the bottom of the ninth, Ashton Kampa knotted the game up at nine with a solo home run. Another hit-by-pitch allowed UIC to play it safe with a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. With one away, Jake Busson delivered for the Flames with a walk-off single to left, ending the nearly four-hour-long game at 10-9.
Charlie Miller (L, 0-1) took the loss for SIU, while Mark Eddie (W, 1-1) was credited with the win.
Game Two - UIC 6, Southern Illinois 5
Having used four relief arms in game one of the doubleheader, Head Coach Lance Rhodes needed a long and efficient performance from starter Troy Shepard.
Shepard grinded out 7.1 innings in the contest, and familiar faces made big plays on offense to support the left-hander.
After UIC struck first in the second, Tim Simay's two-run single put Southern ahead 2-1 in the third.Â
The Flames tacked on their second run in the fourth, but Shepard kept them largely at bay in the middle innings. McKenzie rewarded Shepard's effort with his sixth and seventh RBIs of the day on a two-run double in the sixth to put SIU up 4-2.
While Guerrero did not torture Flames with his third homer of the weekend, he reverted back to wreaking havoc on the basepaths, as an overthrow on his attempt to steal third gave Shepard another run to work with in the seventh.
Through seven innings, Shepard racked up eight strikeouts with just one walk, allowing one earned run on three hits. In the bottom of the eighth, the Coeur d' Alene, Idaho native took the mound having thrown 104 pitches. After surrendering a leadoff walk and an infield single, he collected his ninth strikeout. On his 120th pitch, Vidal Colon tied the game with a three-run home run.Â
SIU threatened, but could not cash in a run in the top of the ninth.Â
The game was primed for extra innings, but Busson played hero for the second game, blasting a solo home run to deliver the second brutal loss of the day for Southern in a 6-5 loss to UIC.
After being swept in the doubleheader, SIU falls to 1-2 in MVC play and 9-13 overall.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois looks for revenge when it heads to UT Martin on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter 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.
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Game One - UIC 10, Southern Illinois 9
After Friday's pitcher's duel, both teams flipped the script in game one, trading blows early. Jackson Dibble countered Alexander Wright's solo home run with his first of the season in the third inning. The Flames immediately went back in front, but Jacob McKenzie announced his arrival with a two-run home run in the fourth.
The Salukis seemingly grew tired of trading blows, as another UIC run in the fourth tied the game at three. In the fifth, Julio Guerrero retook the lead with a solo home run, his second of the season. Jaden Flores beat out an infield single with the bases loaded, and with two runners still in scoring position, McKenzie added two more with a single.
Dawson Hargrove helped the staff settle in the middle innings, giving up just one run on three innings pitched and helping his team hold a 7-4 lead heading into the final three frames.Â
In the blink of an eye, UIC brought the game within one as Jake Busson and Thomas Curry hit back-to-back home runs to open the bottom of the seventh.
In the midst of the critical snag from the SIU bullpen, three straight singles and a walk would tie the game, with a hit-by-pitch plating the go-ahead run. UIC ended the inning with five runs, facing three Saluki relievers.
A scoreless eighth from Charlie Miller kept the Dawgs within one at 8-7, setting up Jacob McKenzie for his third clutch hit of the game. His two-out RBI double scored Bryce Habuda to tie the game in the ninth.
With pinch-runner Kristian Sprawling on third, Kye Watson slapped a line drive that popped out of the third baseman's glove, giving him just enough time to beat the throw and for Sprawling to score the go-ahead run.
On the second pitch of the bottom of the ninth, Ashton Kampa knotted the game up at nine with a solo home run. Another hit-by-pitch allowed UIC to play it safe with a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. With one away, Jake Busson delivered for the Flames with a walk-off single to left, ending the nearly four-hour-long game at 10-9.
Charlie Miller (L, 0-1) took the loss for SIU, while Mark Eddie (W, 1-1) was credited with the win.
Game Two - UIC 6, Southern Illinois 5
Having used four relief arms in game one of the doubleheader, Head Coach Lance Rhodes needed a long and efficient performance from starter Troy Shepard.
Shepard grinded out 7.1 innings in the contest, and familiar faces made big plays on offense to support the left-hander.
After UIC struck first in the second, Tim Simay's two-run single put Southern ahead 2-1 in the third.Â
The Flames tacked on their second run in the fourth, but Shepard kept them largely at bay in the middle innings. McKenzie rewarded Shepard's effort with his sixth and seventh RBIs of the day on a two-run double in the sixth to put SIU up 4-2.
While Guerrero did not torture Flames with his third homer of the weekend, he reverted back to wreaking havoc on the basepaths, as an overthrow on his attempt to steal third gave Shepard another run to work with in the seventh.
Through seven innings, Shepard racked up eight strikeouts with just one walk, allowing one earned run on three hits. In the bottom of the eighth, the Coeur d' Alene, Idaho native took the mound having thrown 104 pitches. After surrendering a leadoff walk and an infield single, he collected his ninth strikeout. On his 120th pitch, Vidal Colon tied the game with a three-run home run.Â
SIU threatened, but could not cash in a run in the top of the ninth.Â
The game was primed for extra innings, but Busson played hero for the second game, blasting a solo home run to deliver the second brutal loss of the day for Southern in a 6-5 loss to UIC.
After being swept in the doubleheader, SIU falls to 1-2 in MVC play and 9-13 overall.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois looks for revenge when it heads to UT Martin on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter 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.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mark Eddie (1-1)
L: Miller, Charlie (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Guerrero, Julio 1 ; McKenzie, Jacob 1
HR: Dibble, Jackson 1 ; Guerrero, Julio 1 ; McKenzie, Jacob 1
RBI: Dibble, Jackson 1 ; Guerrero, Julio 1 ; Flores, Jaden 1 ; McKenzie, Jacob 5 ; Watson, Kye 1
SH: Flores, Jaden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dibble, Jackson 1 ; Guerrero, Julio 1 ; Hall, Kaleb 1 ; Kufa, Henry 1 ; Mylott, Michael 2 ; Habuda, Bryce 1 ; McKenzie, Jacob 1 ; Sprawling, Kristian 1
HBP: Dibble, Jackson 1 ; Mylott, Michael 2
Batting:
2B: Will Flanigan 1 ; Andrew Pyszka 1 ; Sean Cody 1
HR: Jake Busson 1 ; Thomas Curry 1 ; Alexander Wright 1 ; Ashton Kampa 1
RBI: Will Flanigan 1 ; Jake Busson 2 ; Thomas Curry 1 ; Andrew Pyszka 1 ; Alexander Wright 2 ; Ashton Kampa 1 ; Colin Husko 1 ; Sean Cody 1
SH: Sean Cody 1
SF: Andrew Pyszka 1 ; Alexander Wright 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jake Busson 1 ; Thomas Curry 2 ; Alexander Wright 1 ; Vidal Colon 1 ; Ashton Kampa 3 ; Colin Husko 1 ; Sean Cody 1
SB: Andrew Pyszka 1 ; Ashton Kampa 1
CS: Colin Husko 1
HBP: Will Flanigan 1 ; Colin Husko 1
PO: Will Flanigan 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
5
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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/ BaseballSaluki Radio Baseball Broadcast - UIC Game 3
Sunday, March 22
Saluki Radio Baseball Broadcast - UIC Game 2
Saturday, March 21
Saluki Radio Baseball Broadcast - At UIC (Game One)
Saturday, March 21
3.20.26 | UIC Weekend Preview with Lance Rhodes
Friday, March 20