Team-effort hands Salukis first loss since March 4, 2020
In the series finale, the University of Evansville baseball team snapped a 19-game winning streak for No. 25 SIU with a 7-3 win over the Salukis on Sunday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
:Great team win today. SIU was one of the hottest team I’ve ever ran into so it was great to see us show up and play at a high level,” said Evansville head baseball coach Wes Carroll. “Great to see our offense get hits and execute when needed. Bullpen came up big to close out the game.”
For the first time this series, Evansville scored first, pushing across a run as redshirt senior Troy Beilsmith scored on a groundout by junior Tanner Craig in the top of the first. In the bottom half of the first, freshman pitcher Donovan Schultz got off to a strong start with a pair of strikeouts.
SIU took the lead in the bottom of the third inning as the Salukis put together a three-run inning to open up a two run advantage on the Aces. Evansville responded in the top of the next inning, inching closer with a run on freshman Simon Scherry’s fielder’s choice that scored freshman Brent Widder.
The sixth inning was key for Evansville on both the offensive and defensive fronts. In the top half, the Aces opened the inning with a Widder walk. Senior Ben Komonosky came to the plate next and delivered a double, advancing to third on an error, that scored Widder to tie the game at three. Evansville was not finished in the inning as the next at bat saw Beilsmith drive a sacrifice fly to center that scored Komonosky and gave the Aces a 4-3 lead. After Komonosky scored, Evansville scored two more runs in the inning on a double by freshman Mark Shallenberger and another sacrific fly, this one coming from junior Mason Brinkley as UE took a 6-3 lead to the bottom of the sixth.
SIIU threatened in the bottom half of the inning, placing runners on first and second with no outs. Junior Erif Roberts responded, getting the Salukis to ground into a fielder’s choice and striking-out a batter for the second out. Roberts was replaced by Parks for what would be the final at-bat of the inning as Parks struck-out Ian Walters to end the inning.
Evansville padded-on an insurance run in the seventh as Widder opened the inning with a single and found his way home with an RBI single from Scherry.
Leading into the ninth, sophomore Michael Parks pitched valiantly, going 2.1 innings with just one hit and striking-out two.
In the bottom of the ninth, Evansville brought in closer Jakob Meyer, who continued his spectacular spring by sitting the Salukis down in order including an inning opening strikeout to secure the 7-3 win for Evansville.
The win for the Aces was the first for UE over SIU since May 27, 2016, snapping a 13-game win streak in the series for the Salukis.
