The Southern Illinois Salukis baseball team lost to Murray State 13-1 on April 24 at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale. The game ended after seven innings due to the run rule, with Murray State’s offense leading throughout the contest.
This result is significant as it marks a setback for the Salukis, who compete in NCAA Division I within the Missouri Valley Conference and host their games at Itchy Jones Stadium, which features artificial turf and a video board according to the official website.
The Racers took an early lead when Kainen Jorge hit a grand slam in the second inning, putting his team ahead 5-0. Andrew Evans started for Southern Illinois but was relieved after three innings, having allowed five earned runs on five hits. Kyle Mager drove in the only run for Southern Illinois with an RBI single in the third inning. Nic Schutte pitched all seven innings for Murray State, limiting opportunities for a comeback by working out of trouble when needed.
Jorge finished with five runs batted in while Luke Mistone added three more RBIs for Murray State. Evans received his second loss of the season, now holding a record of five wins and two losses.
The Southern Illinois Salukis baseball program has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and recorded five College World Series appearances according to the official website. Richard ‘Itchy’ Jones led the program to ten NCAA Tournament berths and three College World Series trips during his tenure according to the official website. The stadium is named after him, and his uniform number has been retired by the program according to information from their official site.
Community engagement remains an important part of Saluki athletics according to their official website. The team’s roster includes about 39 student-athletes as reported by their official site.
Looking ahead, Southern Illinois will attempt to even its series against Murray State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
