Saluki baseball dropped three out of four games to Valparaiso this weekend, in the three losses, Southern lost by less than three runs in each loss.

With rain in the forecast for the weekend, the doubleheader that was originally scheduled for Saturday got moved back to Friday.

SIU dropped both games of the doubleheader on Friday, losing both games on walk off hits in the ninth inning.

In the first game on Friday, the Salukis jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with the first run coming in off a triple by sophomore outfielder Tristan Peters, Peters then scored on a wild pitch.

Southern and Valpo traded blows and runs back and forth with Brown and Gold taking their first lead of the game 6-5 with a home run by freshman outfielder Parker Johnson in the sixth inning.

The Salukis answered the home run with one of their own in the ninth, coming off the bat of sophomore infielder Cody Cleveland to knot the score at six all.

In the bottom half of the ninth inning, Valparaiso answered the home run by Cleveland to walk off the field with a win 7-6.

In game two of the doubleheader both teams remained scoreless heading into the seventh inning.

Junior pitcher Noah Farmer pitched four innings for Southern allowing only three hits while striking out six.

Freshman outfielder Evan Martin doubled down the left field line to bring a runner home for SIU then, Peters singled through the right side of the infield which brought two more runners home to take a 3-0 lead.

Much like in the first game, Valpo answered in their half of the seventh inning, using a hit by pitch and three singles to plate four runners and win game two 4-3.

In game three of the series, fifth year senior Brad Harrison helped lead Southern to a 10-4 victory on the mound.

While Harrison gave up 11 hits to Valparaiso, they were only able to scrap across three runs across the plate in Harrison’s six and one third innings.

The Salukis scored eight runs by the time Harrison exited in the seventh, with senior infielder Ian Walters leading the way on offense with two runs batted in with two hits.

In game four, Southern jumped out to a one run lead in the first inning, when the shortstop for Valpo committed a throwing error that scored Cleveland from third.

Valparaiso answered the Salukis one run in the first, putting up four runs over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-1 edge.

Down to their final three outs in the ninth inning, Southern attempted to chip away at the Valpo lead.

Senior first baseman Philip Archer led the inning off with a single to left center field on a 3-2 count.

On the first pitch he saw, Martin brought Archer home with a triple down the left field line.

With one out, senior catcher Austin Ulick reached base on a walk, to put him on first base and Martin remained at third base.

Junior infielder Grey Epps struck out for the second out of the inning, and Walters flew out to right field to end the threat and the game for SIU in a 4-2 loss.

Up next, the Salukis get a break from conference play with Murray State coming to Carbondale to play on Tuesday April 27 with first pitch set for 6 pm.

Sports Reporter Adam Warfel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @warfel_adam.

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