Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Sunday, April 5
3 PM
Southern Illinois University
12-18, 3-3
4
vs
10
Illinois State
20-12, 5-4
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Illinois St.
2
0
0
4
4
0
0
0
0
10
14
0
Southern Ill.
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
4
9
1
Third Base Coach Tony Caldwell and Tim Simay (14) stand at third base during Southern Illinois' 10-4 loss to Illinois State Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Photo by: Malayna Russell
Saluki Baseball Comes Up Short in Attempt to Sweep Redbirds
04/05/2026 | 8:50:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Looking for their first sweep of the season, the Salukis could not top Illinois State in the final game of the series as the Redbirds defeated SIU 10-4 Sunday at Itchy Jones Stadium.
Illinois State got to Saluki starter Meade Johnson early, beginning the game with three-straight doubles resulting in two runs.Â
After a scoreless first three from their own starter, the Redbirds broke the game open in the sixth by scoring four runs, highlighted by a two-run home run from Ryan Bakes, his second of the weekend.
Henry Kufa continued his scorching series with a two-run double in the fourth, getting Southern on the board, now down 6-2.
The Redbirds repeated their good fortunes in the fifth inning, putting the game effectively out of reach with four runs, all with two outs in the frame.
The Saluki offense was largely held in check, as RBI singles from Kristian Sprawling and Bryce Habuda would be all it could muster in the late innings.
Blake Kimball was strong out of the bullpen for Southern, allowing just one baserunner and zero runs over three innings. Jace Kirby pitched a scoreless top of the ninth.
Johnson (L, 0-2) took the loss for the Salukis.
UP NEXT
An eight-game home stand will come to a close Tuesday night when SIU hosts rival Southeast Missouri State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 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.
Illinois State got to Saluki starter Meade Johnson early, beginning the game with three-straight doubles resulting in two runs.Â
After a scoreless first three from their own starter, the Redbirds broke the game open in the sixth by scoring four runs, highlighted by a two-run home run from Ryan Bakes, his second of the weekend.
Henry Kufa continued his scorching series with a two-run double in the fourth, getting Southern on the board, now down 6-2.
The Redbirds repeated their good fortunes in the fifth inning, putting the game effectively out of reach with four runs, all with two outs in the frame.
The Saluki offense was largely held in check, as RBI singles from Kristian Sprawling and Bryce Habuda would be all it could muster in the late innings.
Blake Kimball was strong out of the bullpen for Southern, allowing just one baserunner and zero runs over three innings. Jace Kirby pitched a scoreless top of the ninth.
Johnson (L, 0-2) took the loss for the Salukis.
UP NEXT
An eight-game home stand will come to a close Tuesday night when SIU hosts rival Southeast Missouri State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: L. Teschke (3-1)
L: Johnson, Meade (0-2)
Batting:
2B: B. Bakes 1 ; Josh Outlaw 1 ; G. Mastros 1 ; L. Stulga 1 ; B. Zilis 1
HR: R. Bakes 1
RBI: B. Bakes 1 ; Josh Outlaw 2 ; G. Mastros 1 ; L. Bussard 1 ; R. Bakes 3 ; B. Zilis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: B. Bakes 2 ; Josh Outlaw 1 ; G. Mastros 1 ; L. Stulga 2 ; L. Bussard 1 ; R. Bakes 2 ; B. Zilis 1
SB: B. Bakes 1
CS: Josh Outlaw 1
Batting:
2B: Dibble, Jackson 1 ; Kufa, Henry 1
RBI: Sprawling, Kristian 1 ; Kufa, Henry 2 ; Habuda, Bryce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Simay, Tim 1 ; Petrucelli, Gabe 1 ; Dibble, Jackson 1 ; Kufa, Henry 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
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