JONESBORO, Ark. – The SIU baseball team earned its sixth true road win of the season with a 14-6 win at Arkansas State on Tuesday night. The Salukis won their fourth-straight game to improve to 11-6 overall, the program’s best 17-game start since 2012.
SIU’s offense was outstanding all night against the Red Wolves (7-9), reaching base in 24 of its 49 plate appearances. The Salukis did a little bit of everything, stealing four bases, pounding out six extra-base hits (four doubles, a triple and a home run), and hitting .600 with men in scoring position.
“At-bat to at-bat, we had really good ABs,” head coach Lance Rhodes said. “They really executed everything we asked them to do throughout the lineup. It seems like we’re one of the most unlucky offenses right now. We’re torching balls, and they’re going right at people. That’s the way it goes sometimes, but I really feel like we’re swinging the bats as well as we’ve swung them all year.”
As good as SIU’s offense was, Rhodes pointed to two moments on the mound as game changers. SIU starter Kyle Back, after getting ahead of the leadoff hitter 0-2 in the first inning, threw eight-straight balls to put two runners on with no outs for the heart of ASU’s order. But Back pitched his way out of it without allowing any runs, giving SIU’s offense the chance to take a 5-0 lead by batting around in the second inning.
Then, with SIU leading 12-6, Arkansas State loaded the bases in the seventh inning, and Rhodes went to SIU’s stopper out of the bullpen, Trey McDaniel, who got an inning-ending strikeout.
“We felt like the game was on the line in the seventh inning, so we went to Trey right there,” Rhodes said. “He got the big punch out, and the momentum was our way the rest of the night.”
After SIU took a 5-0 lead in the second inning, Arkansas State chipped away and was able to tie the game, 5-5, in the fifth inning. But SIU immediately responded with a three-run top of the sixth. J.T. Weber came through with a huge two-run triple in the frame, and Philip Archer narrowly missed a two-run homer right afterwards, but settled for a warning track sacrifice fly.
“In baseball, it seems like if the other team comes back and ties it, but doesn’t take the lead, and then you’re able to put runs on the board right after that, it takes the wind out of their sails. That’s what we were able to do tonight,” Rhodes said. “You could feel the momentum swing back to our side after that.”
SIU gained some separation with a four-run top of the seventh. Nick Neville continued his outstanding season with a three-run homer. The home run put a capper on what otherwise could have seemed like a tough-luck night offensively. Grey Epps smoked a ball with the bases loaded that seemed destined to score two, but it hit the pitcher’s leg and went right to ASU’s shortstop for an inning-ending 1-6-3 force out. Archer’s near-homer died on the track in dead center. Evan Martin, who 1-for-3, easily could have been 3-for-3 if two sharply hit balls weren’t right at the third baseman.
“We were locked in from pitch 1 through the entire night. I’m really proud of the amount of hard contact we had,” Rhodes said. “That’s all we can ask: Put the barrel on the ball. If it goes right at somebody, there’s nothing we can do about it. We can only control putting good swings on the ball, and we did that tonight.”
SIU is in the midst of playing eight games in 10 days, and the Salukis have completed the first half of those eight games 4-0. SIU continues the stretch with four home games, starting Wednesday night at 6 p.m. vs. SEMO at Itchy Jones Stadium. SIU hosts Illinois for a three-game series this weekend. The Salukis, who traveled with only seven pitchers to A-State, closed the game with a perfect inning by Friday night starter Mason Hiser in the ninth. Blake Begner will take the mound for SIU on Wednesday night.
“Our pitching staff is limited in numbers already, and you really have to play it game by game,” Rhodes said. “That’s why we went to McDaniel and Hiser. When you have a win sitting right in front of you, you don’t want to get too far in front of yourself thinking about Wednesday or Friday. You want to take the win when you have it. We have a really good starter going tomorrow, and we will piece it together from there.”
Photo from siusalukis.com