Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University (SIU) baseball team secured a 5-1 victory against SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday night at the Simmons Baseball Complex. The Salukis, now holding a 35-15 record, scored four runs in the final two innings to extend their lead and secure their fourth midweek road win of the season.

Cecil Lofton played a key role for the Salukis, going 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs. In the ninth inning, Lofton hit a two-run double down the left field line and later scored on a wild pitch, contributing to a three-run inning.

The game saw Southern break a scoreless tie in the third inning after Jordan Bach and Matt Schark singled. John Lemm reached base due to an error by the pitcher, allowing Bach to score from third. Despite nearly two hours of delays caused by lightning and rain in the fourth inning, play resumed just past 8 p.m.

Throughout the game, Southern threatened multiple times but only managed to capitalize again in the eighth inning. With the game tied at 1-1, Lemm walked with one out followed by another walk drawn by Tim Simay. Gabe Petrucelli then delivered an RBI single to center field, putting Southern ahead.

In addition to Lofton's performance, Jaxon Holder contributed with a leadoff single in the ninth. Schark walked afterward, setting up Lofton's decisive double that drove both runners home. A series of wild pitches allowed Lofton to advance and eventually score.

On the pitching side, Tyler Timmerman opened with three scoreless innings for SIU. Blaine Harpenau pitched two clean frames before Tanner Gerdes allowed one run in the seventh inning. Cole Koonce and Sam Frizzi closed out with two shutout innings combined. Gerdes earned his first win of the season while Frizzi collected his seventh save.

The Salukis amassed ten hits during the game with multi-hit performances from Lofton, Lemm, and Holder. Petrucelli also added his 34th RBI of this season.

Looking ahead, SIU will host Evansville at Itchy Jones Stadium this weekend for their final series of the season where they will honor their twelve seniors before Sunday's finale.

Fans can follow updates about Saluki baseball through various social media platforms including X (@SIU_Baseball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball), Instagram (@SIU_Baseball), or via their mobile app available on both App Store and Google Play Store.