The Southern Illinois baseball team was shut out for the second straight game Friday in a 8-0 loss to Wichita State.

The Salukis (23-18-1, 4-6 Missouri Valley Conference) made it 18 straight innings without scoring a run as they could not figure out Shocker sophomore Cody Tyler.

Tyler (3-2, 3.63 ERA) pitched a complete-game shutout, scattering four hits while striking out four batters and walking none. 

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PHOTOS: Best images of the Saluki loss

“Yesterday we were outstanding,” SIU coach Ken Henderson said. “It’s just a matter of taking practice into the game. We don’t do that right now. We get into games and we just try to do too much.”

Wichita State (16-25, 6-4) broke the game open with a five-run eighth inning against three different Saluki relievers, collecting three hits and taking advantage of a two-run error by sophomore first baseman Logan Blackfan.

“We didn’t play well,” Henderson said. “In my mind, six of their eight runs were a direct result of our play.”

SIU junior righty Chad Whitmer (4-3, 2.44 ERA) took the loss despite allowing two runs in seven innings of work. He allowed seven hits, struck out eight batters and walked two.

Senior third baseman Chase Rader led the Shockers with three hits. Freshman right fielder Dayton Dugas and sophomore shortstop Trey Vickers collected a game-high two RBIs.

Sophomore left fielder Greg Lambert collected the Salukis’ only extra base hit, a leadoff double in the fourth inning.

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“I really didn’t think [Tyler] had anything working for him,” Lambert said. “We got ourselves out a lot. We hit a lot of fly balls, and the wind was blowing in today.” 

Of the 27 outs SIU made, 17 were flyouts or popouts, including 10 batters in a row from the fourth through the seventh innings.

The two teams are scheduled to face each other at 4 p.m. Saturday, subject to the weather forecast. Junior left-hander Joey Marciano (3-4, 4.04 ERA) will pitch for SIU. He will face junior righty Zach Lewis (1-6, 5.18 ERA).

Thomas Donley can be reached at [email protected] or at 618-536-3307