Racers Succumb to Late-Inning Home Run at SIU

Wednesday, April 18

Carbondale, Ill.

5 p.m.

Murray State

17-19

Southern Illinois

20-17

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Murray State	0	0	4	3	1	1	0	0	0	9	8	2
Southern Illinois	1	1	1	2	2	1	0	3	X	11	13	2

4/18/2018 8:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Southern Illinois got a two-out, three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth to help defeat Murray State Wednesday night in Carbondale, 11-9.

MSU (17-19) led for much of the contest after falling behind 2-0. The Racers got a four-run top of the third and then a three-run fourth to move in front of the Salukis (20-17). For much of the contest, each time the Salukis would score to cut into the MSU lead, the Racers would respond in the next half inning to maintain it's advantage. SIU would score in all but one inning on the night.

In the third, Gavin Wehby got MSU on the board for the first time with an RBI single to right field. Two batters later, Davis Sims produced his 20^th double of the season, this one down the line that scored two and the Racers led 3-2. Brandon Gutzler round-out the scoring in the next at-bat with a ribbie of his own and it was 4-2.

After the Salukis scored in the bottom half of the inning, the Racers pushed the lead up to 7-3 in the fourth. Grant Wood drew a bases-loaded walk in the inning and after Sims brought a run home by grounding into a double play, Gutzler ripped a base hit up to gut to score Wehby.

SIU would score two runs in their half of the fourth to make it 7-5. Kyle Stevens smoked his first career home run over the left field wall in the fifth to put MSU up 8-5 and then when SIU got another two-run inning, Wood singled to right field to make it 9-7 prior to Southern Illinois scoring in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-8 Racers. SIU went scoreless in the seventh before the homer in the eighth.

Wehby led the Racers going 2-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored. Jaron Robinson was 1-of-3 with a pair of runs while Stevens also went 1-for-3 at the dish with the homer.

The Racers used six pitchers in the contest. Tyler Horsley got the start and went 2.1 innings, allowing three runs, one of which was earned on three hits. Luke Brown, Chance Carner, Caleb Hicks, Connor Holden and Alec Whaley all appeared in relief. Hicks took the loss as he pitched the eighth.

MSU is back in road action this weekend as it travels to Southeast Missouri for a three-game set beginning 6 p.m., Friday.