Baseball

MVC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 6 – #8 Southern Illinois 10, #6 Missouri State 9

Walters’ Homer Leads SIU Over Missouri State, 10-9

Normal, IL – Ian Walters’ three-run homer keyed a four-run Southern Illinois first inning as the Salukis held-off late Missouri State rallies to win 10-9 in a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament elimination game Thursday at Duffy Bass Field. Walters finished 4-for-6 with two singles, a triple and a homer.

The Salukis (26-28) play Saturday Friday against an opponent to be determined. The Bears (20-36) end their season after going 1-2 in the Valley Tournament.

SIU scored three times before its first out. Nikola Vasic broke an 0-for-23 slump with a leadoff double. After Will LaRue walked, Walters drove his fifth home run of the season over the right-center field wall to put the Salukis ahead 3-0. Alex Lyon followed with a double. He went to third on a ground out and scored on J.T. Weber’s sacrifice fly.

Philip Archer’s single and two walks filled the bases, but MSU starter Jake Lochner struck out Vasic to escape further damage. SIU added a fifth run in the second when Walters singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Aiden McMahan’s single.

The Bears got on the scoreboard in the second inning. With one out, Drew Millas doubled, went to third on a passed ball and scored on Ben Whetstone’s ground out. They cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth on back-to-back homers by Joey Polak, his eighth of the season, and Millas, his fifth. Millas had a single, a double and a homer in four at bats.

SIU added to its lead in the seventh. Philip Archer led off with a single, advanced to second on a balk, took third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch to make it SIU 6, MSU 3.

Missouri State responded after two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Jack Duffy tripled. Then Justin Yeager relieved starter Blake Begner on the mound. Brooks Zimmerman walked and Dakota Kotowski was hit by a pitch.

Pinch hitter Jordan Fitzpatrick grounded to short, but a wild throw allowed Duffy and Zimmerman to score. Kotowski tried to score from first with the tying run, but was thrown out at the plate by first baseman J.T. Weber, keeping SIU ahead 6-5.

In the top of the eighth, Walters’ triple was followed by Lyon’s seventh home run of the year. After an out, Weber dropped down a bunt singled, took second on a passed ball and scored on a single by Grey Epps to put the Salukis ahead 9-5.
Vasic’s leadoff homer, his fourth of the season, finished SIU’s scoring.

Trailing 10-5 entering the ninth, MSU’s rally started with John Privitera reaching on an error. He took third on Duffy’s double and both rode home on another double by Zimmerman. Trey McDaniel relieved Yeager on the mound and was greeted by Kotowski’s 12th home run of the season, cutting the SIU lead to 10-9. A single by Millas, his fourth hit of the game, gave MSU the tying run at first, but McDaniel got the final two outs for the save.

Begner (6-7) was the winning pitcher, with McDaniel earning his 14th save of the season. Lochner (3-3) took the loss for MSU.