Andrew Evans set a career-high with 11 strikeouts as Southern Illinois University defeated Illinois State 4-3 on April 3 at Itchy Jones Stadium. The Salukis improved their record to 11-17 overall and evened their Missouri Valley Conference mark at 2-2, marking the sixth consecutive win in games started by Evans.
The game began with Henry Kufa driving in Kaleb Hall on an RBI single in the second inning. Kufa then advanced to second base, forcing an errant throw that allowed Jackson Dibble to score, giving SIU an early lead.
Illinois State’s only run against Evans was unearned, coming in the fourth inning after a passed ball, wild pitch, and dropped ball at home enabled Graham Mastros to score from first base without a hit. In the fifth inning, Illinois State threatened again but was stopped by an interference call and a pop-up induced by Evans.
Cecil Lofton contributed with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to extend SIU’s lead. Later, Lofton hit his first home run since March 10 in the eighth inning, which became crucial for securing the victory.
Evans finished his outing by striking out Luke Stulga on his season-high tying 117th pitch for his eleventh strikeout of the night. Jack MacIntosh closed out the game despite allowing two runs on four hits in the ninth; defensive plays from Kye Watson and Kaleb Hall helped preserve SIU’s win.
Evans now holds a record of five wins and one loss this season and leads the Missouri Valley Conference with fifty strikeouts. MacIntosh earned his fourth save of the year. The Salukis will aim for their first conference series win of the season when they play again Saturday night.
