A slumping Saluki senior outfielder Rennie Troggio posted three hits, three runs and three RBIs Tuesday to help lead the baseball team to a 25-3 win over Southeast Missouri State University.

SIU’s commanding victory improves the team’s record to 15-16 on the season.

SIU junior pitcher Brad Drust pitched his fourth start of the season against the Redhawks and allowed three earned runs with four strike-outs in five innings. His win bumps his record back to .500 at 2-2.

The Salukis got on the board quick when they had a two-run surge in the first inning off of hits by junior first basemen Ryan Casillas and junior catcher Matt Jones to jump up 2-0 on SEMO.

The Redhawks responded in the bottom of the third, when junior outfielder Cole Bieser scored off  of junior infielder Matt Tellor’s single to the right side. Sophomore infielder Andy Lennington then hit a sacrifice fly ball and junior outfielder Derek Gibson scored to tie the game.

The Salukis continued their runs in the third inning when both Troggio and senior outfielder Austin Montgomery hit solo home runs to improve the Salukis’ score and regain the lead.

A huge offensive inning came in the top of the fifth when the Salukis posted 10 runs on seven hits to lead 15-3 Troggio, Jones, Montgomery, senior catcher Luke Mottashed, junior shortstop Ryan Rosthenhausler and Jake Welch all accumulated the Saluki runs.

However, the highlight of the night came with the score at 21-3 in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded. SIU junior infielder Cody Daily stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam well past left field on the first pitch to lead the game 25-3.

Senior pitcher Austin Johnson entered the game in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season and improve SIU’s away record to 7-12.

Saluki bats have started to pick up about midway through the 2013 season. SIU struggled earlier in the year to get runs, and five players hold .300 averages or higher as of Tuesday.

Mottashed leads the team with a .367 season batting average. In the last five games, he has a .500 average, and fellow catcher junior Matt Jones is close behind with a .336 average. Senior infielder Wes Neece has also posted an impressive .333 average throughout the season.

Even though the Salukis’ hitting has improved, they still need production across the lineup. Troggio, who hit .303 last season with 21 RBIs, is hitting a team-low .167 and has produced only six RBIs this season. His performance against SEMO may be just what he needed to get his hitting back on track.

Troggio’s bat might have lagged to start the season, but he has provided a solid Saluki centerfield glove. He hasn’t committed an error and has posted 65 on the season.

Matt Jones is also proving his worth on the field this season with a .987 fielding percentage, 128 putouts and only two errors.

The team’s pitching staff has been a solid factor this season. Senior pitcher Cody Forsythe leads the starters with a 2.28 earned run average, but he has only a 1-1 record in eight appearances and has posted five consecutive no-decisions. Forsythe has surrendered 17 runs and walked only nine batters in eight games. The Saluki offense seems to struggle when he pitches.

SIU will need much more run support for the pitching staff to win these crucial interconference games.

The Salukis’ mid-inning relief pitchers have seen the most success for the pitching staff. Junior pitcher Tyler Dray leads the Salukis with a .90 ERA, and Matt Murphy isn’t far behind with a 1.32 ERA. More wins should come if the Salukis can continue to get production out of their relief pitchers.

The Salukis have improved drastically throughout April and look to take their momentum into two important Missouri Valley Conference games. The first, against Missouri State University, begins Friday. The second, against Creighton, starts April 19. The Salukis will be in a much better position for the end of the season if they can win at least one of these series.

SIU’s next game is against the Austin Peay State University Governors today at 3 p.m. at Abe Martin Field.