Normal, IL – Indiana State righthander Tyler Whitbread shut down Southern Illinois on four hits over eight innings to lead the Sycamores to a 4-1 win in a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament elimination game Friday at Duffy Bass Field.

Whitbread (8-2) struck out nine and walked three, throwing a career-high 131 pitches. Geremy Guerrero pitched the ninth to earn his first save of the season. SIU starter Matthew Steidl (3-4) took the loss.

The No. 3 seed Sycamores (38-16) advance to play the loser of No. 1 seed Dallas Baptist (40-16) and No. 2 seed Illinois State (34-22) at 7 p.m. Friday. The No. 8 seed Salukis (26-29) are eliminated, finishing fourth in the tournament.

The first three Sycamore runs came on solo homers by Chris Ayers in the first, Dane Tofteland and Clay Dungan in the fifth. For Ayers, it was his second of the year and came on the first pitch of his first at-bat in the tournament. Tofteland’s was his fourth of the season.

Dungan’s homer was his first hit in 11 at-bats in the tourney. He also drove in the fourth Sycamore run with a single in the seventh, scoring Ayers who had reached with a bunt single and stole second.