The Salukis returned to Itchy Jones Stadium for a midweek matchup versus the University of Tennessee-Martin on March 18. SIU and UT-Martin dueled late into the evening, but the Skyhawks emerged as one-run victors in the 10-inning affair.
10 Saluki pitchers took to the mound in the Wednesday night game, with Blake Kimball starting. The right-hander faced early adversity, surrendering two first-inning runs.
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Centerfielder Julio Guerrero stepped up in the bottom half of the first inning and roped a double down the line. First baseman Kaleb Hall cashed in the speedy runner with a double of his own.
The Skyhawks answered right back with three runs in the second inning.
The Salukis faced a 5-1 deficit when third baseman Jaden Flores added to the SIU total with an RBI sacrifice fly.
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The pitching staffs of the two teams began to shine, posting four scoreless innings after a high-scoring start.
The Skyhawks ended the scoreless drought and upped their lead to 6-2. The resilient Salukis clawed back with a three-run inning in the bottom of the seventh. Shortstop Henry Kufa drew an RBI walk, followed by RBI groundouts from left fielder Michael Mylott and catcher Mason Schwalbach.
Designated hitter Tim Simay came up in the eighth and tied the game with an RBI single.
Neither team pushed across runs in the ninth inning, forcing extra innings.
The Skyhawks plated one after loading the bases with no outs. The Salukis, despite creating traffic on the basepaths, could not answer. The Skyhawks won the one-game matchup 7-6.
With this loss, SIU sits at 8-11. The Skyhawks improve to 10-10. The Salukis will begin conference play on March 20-22, when they take on the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames in Chicago, Illinois.
Sports Reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at [email protected]
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