Life in the Valley

Salukis and Racers Sweep Their Way to First Place Tie

Southern Illinois and Murray State each won Sunday to finish off sweeps of their first Missouri Valley Conference weekend series of the season, over Valparaiso and Evansville, respectively, and sit tied at the top of the conference standings. Indiana State, UIC, and Bradley won their series, as well, by 2-1 margins to tie for 3rd place heading into the new week.

Here’s a quick look at Sunday’s action and a look ahead to a big slate of action on Tuesday.

SIU 9, Valparaiso 5: The Salukis finished off their sweep, outscoring the Beacons by a 28-10 count for the weekend, with a 9-5 victory on Sunday. SIU broke open a 3-3 game in the 7th inning with 4 runs, then added 2 more on Cole Christman’s double in the 8th. Hesston Gray’s 2-run single was the big hit in the 7th. Christman drove in 3 runs and had a 2-hit game. SIU (17-7, 3-0) also stole 5 bases, led by Gray’s 2. Reigning Valley Pitcher of the Week Aidan Foeller went 6 innings, striking out 11 on 96 pitches (5.33 ppo), though he ended with a no-decision. Reliever Ben Riffe got the win.

Kevin Denty and Chase Maifield homered for Valparaiso (8-14, 0-3). Both had 2 hits in the loss.

Murray State 6, Evansville 5 (10): Murray State took a 4-1 lead with 5 runs in the 6th inning, but Evansville rallied to send the game to extra innings, scoring 2 on a Simon Scherry homer in the 6th, then 2 more on Evan Waggoner’s single in the 7th. But in the 10th, Murray State scored in the traditional way Murray State scores, as Taylor Howell hit a solo homer to left and that stood as the eventual game-winning RBI as the Racers beat the Purple Aces, 6-5, for a road sweep against a UE picked to finish 3rd in the Valley before the season (Murray was picked 4th).

Howell also doubled and brought in a run with a sac fly. Dustin Mercer had 2 hits for the Racers (17-6, 3-0). Mark Shallenberger led the UE (9-14, 0-3) attack with 2 runs and 2 hits, including a double.

Reliever Thomas McNabb pitched the final 3 innings to get the win, allowing 0 runs on 2 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. McNabb is 2-0 this season.

Indiana State 8, Missouri State 5: In a battle of the two teams picked 1-2 in the preseason polls, top dog Indiana State won its home series over Missouri State with an 8-5 victory Sunday. The bullpen was the story for the Sycamores, as starter Luke Hayden only lasted 2 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits as the Bears (10-12, 1-2) tried to stay in the game after Indiana State scored 6 in the 2nd inning to take a 7-2 lead. But 7-5 was as close as the Bears got, thanks to 7 innings of combined relief from Cam Edmonson (W, 3-0), Zach Davidson, and Simon Gregersen (SV, 3). They allowed just 1 unearned run on 3 hits with 5 walks and 11 strikeouts. Edmonson rang up 7 Ks in just 3 innings.

Four different Sycamores (17-5, 2-1) had 2 hits each, while Randal Diaz and Grant Magill drove in 2 runs each. Diaz hit a 2-run home run in the 6-run 2nd, while Luis Hernandez (3 runs) homered in the 1st. Zack Stewart (RBI single) and Logan Chambers (RBI walk) had gotten Missouri State off to a good start in the Bears’ 2-run 1st. Caden Bogenpohl homered for the Bears in the loss.

UIC 7, Belmont 4: The Flames clinched their season win by extending a 4-3 lead in the 8th inning with a 3-run rally, including a solo homer off the bat of Rayth Petersen. UIC has won 10 of its last 12. Zane Zielinski went 2-for-2 with 2 runs and an RBI. A.J. Henkle also homered for the Flames (15-7, 2-1). Kendall Lyons started and went 6 quality innings, giving up just 2 runs on 7 hits with 0 walks and 2 strikeouts on an efficient 79 pitches (4.39 ppo). Lyons is 2-1.

The top 3 in the Belmont batting order – Sam Slaughter, Jack Rando, and Mason Landers – all had 2 hits each and combined to go 6-for-11 with a run and 2 RBIs (both from Landers). Jeff Clarke and Pete Daniel also had 2 hits each for Belmont (12-12, 1-2), which outhit UIC, 11-9.

Illinois State 12, Bradley 3: The Redbirds (11-11, 1-2) avoided a weekend sweep with an offensive barrage that included a 6-run 3rd inning and 12 runs on 12 hits in a 12-3 win. Auggie Rasmussen went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs in the victory. Rasmussen is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak, starting with a 1-for-3 in a loss at Vanderbilt on March 10. Since then, he’s 13-for-37 (.351), with 4 HRs, 12 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. For the season, Rasmussen is now hitting .333 with 4 HRs and 14 RBIs.

Judah Morris had 2 hits and drove in 3 runs in the victory, while Noah Smith doubled and drove in 3 runs. Tanner Perry (W, 2-3) went 7 innings, walking 2 and fanning 5 while allowing 3 runs on 8 hits in an even 100 pitches (4.76 ppo). Matthew Donnison came on in the 8th and worked 2 scoreless, hitless innings with 0 walks and 1 strikeout.

Travis Lutz doubled and drove in a run for Bradley (8-14, 2-1).

Today on Valley Diamonds: All is quiet.

Next up: There’s almost a full slate of games for us to take in on Tuesday, though Illinois State’s scheduled game vs. Iowa has been canceled due to impending bad weather.

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s slate, all times Eastern:

Western Kentucky (16-9, 1-2 CUSA) at Murray State, 4 p.m., ESPN+
SEMO (12-13, 3-0 OVC) at Missouri State, 4 p.m., ESPN+
Purdue (16-9, 1-2 Big Ten) at Indiana State, 4 p.m., ESPN+
Milwaukee (2-18, 1-5 Horizon) at UIC, 5 p.m., ESPN+
SIU-Edwardsville (7-17, 2-1 OVC) at Evansville, 7 p.m.
Lindenwood (6-17, 1-3 OVC) at Bradley, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Valparaiso at #7 Vanderbilt (19-6, 3-3 SEC), 7 p.m., SECN+
Tennessee-Martin (7-16, 1-2 OVC) at Southern Illinois, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Belmont at #16 Alabama (18-6, 2-4 SEC), 7 p.m.

What I’ll Be Watching: Along with all the Valley action online, I’ll have an eye on f0rmer Valley foe Wichita State, as they host Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.