CARBONDALE, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball came up short, losing to Southern Illinois University, 7-5, Tuesday evening in Carbondale, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles are 19-26, while Salukis go to 26-19.
After the Eagles and Salukis were scoreless through three innings, USI grabbed the opening lead of the game, 2-0, with a pair of runs in the fourth. Sophomore second baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) reached on a single and an error before senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) doubled him in with a drive to center for the first tally of the game.
Ebest, who advanced to third on a sacrifice, would score when junior leftfielder Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri) reached on an error for the 2-0 advantage. The 2-0 lead would not last long as the Salukis responded with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth to grab the lead, 3-2.
After SIU increased its lead to 6-2 with tallies in the fifth and sixth, USI got back on the scoreboard in seventh and cut the deficit to 6-5 with three runs. Senior centerfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) pushed USI’s third run of the game across with a RBI-double before scoring the Eagles’ fourth run on a ground out by Niehaus.
The Eagles pulled to within one, 6-5, when Ebest struck with a RBI-single to score junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela). SIU would respond in the bottom of the seventh with a home run that re-extended the lead to two and eventual final score, 7-5.
On the mound, USI sophomore left-hander Will Kiesel (Wadesville, Indiana) took the loss in relief and a staff day for the Eagles. Kiesel (0-1) allowed one run on one hit and a walk and facing three batters.
