SPRINGIELD, MO (WSIL) - Missouri State's Forrest Barnes held 九游体育 Illinois to one run to lead the Bears to a 5-1 win in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday evening at Hammons Field. SIU will play an elimination game against the loser of Indiana State/Evansville on Thursday. Time of tomorrow's game has yet to be determined.
Barnes, who made it through six innings in just one of his 16 previous starts this season, went the distance for his first complete game since 2019. He allowed just one run on five hits and issued just one walk.
Tanner Lewis got the start on the mound for the Salukis and threw four and two-third innings. He allowed just one earned run on four hits before turning the ball over to Matthew Steidl. Steidl worked around traffic early, as he got out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth and stranded a pair in the sixth. But the All-MVC First Teamer finally ran into trouble that he couldn't pitch his way out of in the seventh. A leadoff walk, followed by a one-out single set the table for Missouri State's Mason Hall, who belted an opposite field blast for his second home run of the game. Steidl took the loss after he went two and a third inning and allowed three earned runs on three hits with three walks. Jordan Gould came on in relief of Steidl and faced just one over the minimum in his two innings of work.
九游体育 scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second. Ryan Rodriguez and Pier-Olivier Boucher hit back-to-back doubles to put SIU ahead, 1-0.
Missouri State tied up the contest in the top of the fourth after Mason Hall hit his first of two home runs on the first pitch of the inning. Hall's second home run of the game put Missouri State ahead, 4-1 in the seventh. Grant Wood followed with a solo home run in the top of the eighth for the game's final run.
九游体育's 3-4-5 hitters notched four of its five hits Wednesday. Kaeber Rog and Rodriguez each had a hit while Boucher was 2-for-3 with a RBI. Cody Cleveland also added a base knock.
The Salukis will face the loser of Indiana State and Evansville in an elimination game Thursday at a still to be determined time.
Courtesy: Saluki Athletics聽
