CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program fell to Southern Illinois, 9-1, Saturday evening in Carbondale, Ill. With the loss, the Redbirds drop to 19-12 and move to 4-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
After four scoreless innings, the Redbirds took the lead in the top of the fifth as Junior Ryan Bakes delivered his sixth home run of the campaign with a solo shot to give Illinois State a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half, Southern Illinois responded with a two-run home run to take a 2-1 advantage.
An inning later, the Redbirds looked to rally late into the frame after a trio of walks, including a hit-by-pitch, loaded the bases for Illinois State. Despite the jam, the Salukis used a groundout to maintain their 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Southern Illinois grew its lead to 3-1 on a fielder's choice after previously loading the bases earlier in the frame. Moments later, the Salukis reloaded the bases and capitalized on back-to-back runs to add a pair of runs to make the score 5-1. Southern Illinois later added four runs in the eighth to extend its lead to 9-1 and secure the win.
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