Senior shortstop Jake Welch became the first Saluki to hit a home run at Itchy Jones Stadium on Sunday.

The Salukis (13-9) hosted Purdue University (3-16) to a weekend series. SIU lost Friday 3-2, but won Saturday 5-4 and Sunday 4-0 to claim the series.

Junior Sam Coonrod started Friday and did not allow a run in six innings. The Salukis took a 1-0 first inning lead, which started from a Welch double. Freshman Chad Whitmer relieved Coonrod in the seventh and gave up a two-run home run to give Purdue a 2-1 lead.

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The Salukis tied the game at two in the eighth inning, but senior Derek Fogel gave up a run in the ninth for a 3-2 Purdue victory.

Senior Todd Eaton started Saturday and has given up 10 first inning runs in only six games. Saturday, he only needed six pitches to get out of the first and he did not allow a run. Eaton forced a double play and coach Ken Henderson said that helped Eaton going forward.

“His teammates went crazy,” Henderson said. “Once he got those two outs, he got on a roll and he did a great job.”

Eaton threw 107 pitches in 7.2 innings. Senior Tyler Dray relieved him in a 4-4 ballgame. Dray is typically a closer, but he threw 3.1 hitless innings before freshman Kyle Pauly came in, Pauly did not allow a run in four innings.

Senior Lee Weld pitched a perfect 16th inning for SIU, which kept the game tied.

“We love this stuff,” Weld said. “We love when it’s a close game going in and keeping it where it’s at.”

The Salukis finally scored in the bottom of the 16th, which gave them a 5-4 win. Senior Ryan Rosthenhausler batted with the bases loaded and one out, and hit a single over the second baseman to score senior Matt Jones. Rosthenhausler said Welch was due up after him and he helped inspire him to drive in the game winner.

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“I was in the same situation last year,” Rosthenhausler said. “I told (Welch) he wasn’t getting an at bat because I was going to win the game for us. … He asked me what I told him last year so I said, ‘Sorry, you’re not getting another at bat.'”

Weld earned his second win of the season and his second of the week after beating Eastern Illinois University Tuesday.

“A lot of guys around here are calling me ‘The Snake’,” Weld said. “I’ve thrown like 10 total pitches in the last two wins.”

Junior Aaron Hauge started the rubber match for the Salukis and threw five shutout innings and recorded five strikeouts. His record improved to 3-1. Hauge threw 96 pitches last weekend, and Henderson said he wasn’t sure how long he’d throw Sunday.

“We didn’t even know if (Hauge) was going to throw (Sunday),” Henderson said. “It was 50-50 he had a little bit of tenderness in the chest area.”

Hauge threw 76 pitches before being taken out in a 1-0 ballgame. He went to the clubhouse with the trainer and missed most of the excitement.

Freshman pitcher Austin McPheron only recorded one out and loaded the bases. Senior Matt Murphy was called on to relieve him and only needed two pitches to get a double play groundball to end the inning.

Senior Jake Welch hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, the first of the season, which gave the Salukis a 3-0 lead.

“I’ve gotten in the habit of taking the first pitch fastball,” Welch said. “Our coaches talked to me and said, ‘If they’re throwing you a first pitch fastball, take advantage of it more often’.”

Hauge said he was still with the trainer but his teammates gave him all the news when he got back to the dugout.

“I was in the clubhouse when he hit his home run,” Hauge said. “I heard it was a pretty good shot and it definitely helped us out getting it 3-0 instead of 1-0, it’s a whole different ballgame.”

The Salukis scored one more run in the eighth to win 4-0 and the series 2-1.

The Salukis play at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Murray State University.