CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois right-fielder Nathan Bandy came through with a two-out, walk-off RBI single to the right-center field gap in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon, as the home-standing Salukis edged the visiting University of Evansville baseball team, 3-2, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.
“This is a tough series loss, as we were in the driver’s seat after our performance on Friday night,†said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “We just didn’t earn it offensively today.  We need to turn the page, and get ready to attack this week coming up.â€
Bandy’s walk-off single capped a back-and-forth affair between the two schools on ESPNU.  The two teams traded home runs in the first two innings, as SIU outfielder Pier-Olivier Boucher and UE junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse both hit home runs to left field to start the scoring for their respective teams.
Both teams would put two men on in the third inning, but SIU starter Tanner Lewis and UE starter Donovan Schultz were able to escape the jams.  From there, pitching would dominate both sides until SIU was able to score a run in the bottom of the sixth inning against UE reliever Michael Parks (2-1) on back-to-back singles by shortstop Kaeber Rog and second baseman Steven Loden and a sacrifice fly by first baseman Matt Schark.
Evansville would answer right back, though, as junior catcher Brendan Hord and Fougerousse led off the top of the seventh inning with back-to-back singles against SIU reliever Paul Bonzagni (6-2).  After a walk loaded the bases with no-one out, graduate outfielder Eric Roberts crushed a ball to right that Bandy was able to track down on the warning track in right field for a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 2-2.  Then, Bandy robbed fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug of a base hit with a sliding catch in the right-center field gap, and Bonzagni got an infield ground out to keep the score tied at 2-2.
Evansville would produce two-out base runners in the eighth and ninth innings, but came up empty offensively.  Schark would then lead off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double against Parks.  UE junior closer Nate Hardman then came on to get back-to-back outs, but Bandy spoiled an 0-1 pitch with a single to right-center field to score Schark with the game-winning run and give the Salukis a series victory over UE.
Fougerousse went 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the year to lead Evansville offensively.  Schark, meanwhile, went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.  Bonzagni earned the win with 3.0 innings of one-run, three-hit relief for SIU.  Parks, meanwhile, suffered the tough-luck loss despite tossing 4.0 innings of two-run, four-hit relief in which he got eight ground-ball outs.
With the victory, Southern Illinois improves to 22-14 overall and 10-2 in the MVC, while the Salukis earned their 12th-straight Missouri Valley Conference series victory.  Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 20-15 overall and 6-6 in the MVC.  The Purple Aces will return home to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Tuesday night to host Western Kentucky University in a 6 p.m. contest.
