TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The Indiana State baseball team was looking to win its third straight Missouri Valley Conference series on Saturday in a doubleheader against Southern Illinois and with two wins, would secure its third conference sweep in a row. The Sycamores (23-13, 10-3 MVC) achieved their goal, as they cruised to a 10-5 win in game one and came from behind in game two to win 5-3 and earn the sweep over the Salukis (15-23, 3-8 MVC) at Sycamore Field.
With the two wins on Saturday, ISU extended its winning streak in Valley play to nine games. That streak is the team's longest since 1985, when ISU won 12 straight games against league opponents. In addition, the Sycamores improved their conference record to 10-3, the most league wins for the squad since 2005.
In game one, Jake Petricka (5-1) controlled the game from the mound and gave up five runs (only three earned) on 10 hits while striking out four batters in eight full innings of work. SIU starter Andrew Dunn (4-4) suffered the loss, after giving up eight runs (only two earned) on eight hits in 5.2 innings on the mound.
The Sycamores struck first with two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take an early 2-0 lead. With one out, Kyle Burnam reached on a fielding error and Brady Shoemaker doubled to right center field to give ISU runners on second and third. Nick Ciolli then crushed a ball to deep center field, but it was caught by SIU's Chris Murphy as he collided with the wall and fell to the ground which allowed both Burnam and Shoemaker to score on the sacrifice fly.
ISU extended its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third inning on a RBI double by Shoemaker that scored Ryan Strausborger from second base and a RBI single by Ben Ferrell that scored Strausborger later in the inning. The lead would stay there until the top of the fifth inning, when the Salukis got two of those runs back off Petricka to cut the lead to 4-2.
ISU maintained the two-run advantage until the bottom of the sixth inning, when it pushed five runs across the plate to widen its advantage to 9-2. Joe Meggs brought in the first run with a RBI ground out and Ferrell picked up another RBI with a double down the right field line. Ferrell later scored on a RBI triple by Strausborger, who later scored on a RBI single by Kyle Burnam. The scoring barrage ended when Burnam scored on a RBI double by Shoemaker to give the Sycamores five runs on five hits in the inning.
A RBI single by Luke Fieser in the bottom of the eighth inning would widen the ISU lead to 10-2 headed into the ninth inning. The Salukis attempted a late-game rally for the second game in a row, but their three runs were not enough as the Sycamores came away with a 10-5 victory.
Ciolli finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Fieser went 3-for-5 with two RBI and run scored in the win for ISU.
Game two was a different story for the Sycamores, who needed an eighth-inning comeback to secure the series sweep. ISU starter Joe Rodriguez was solid, as he allowed just three runs on seven hits while striking out six in 6.1 innings of work. Reliever Scott Harlan got the final two outs of the seventh inning for Rodriguez and Matt Shelton (4-1) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. SIU reliever Nathan Forer (0-6) suffered the loss, after giving up four runs on three hits in just 10 pitches while not recording an out in the eighth inning.
The Sycamores jumped out on top for the second time during the doubleheader with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Bronco Lafrenz doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning and advanced to third base on a Nick Ciolli single through the left side. After a strikeout by Ben Caple, Meggs reached on an infield single that allowed Lafrenz to score for the first run of the game.
Both pitchers battled back and forth over the next four innings, until the Salukis took a 3-1 lead on three hits and an ISU error in the top of the seventh inning off Rodriguez. The Salukis held that lead, their first of the series, until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Sycamores mounted their comeback.
Forer took the mound in the bottom of the inning for SIU starter Jimmy Cornell, who allowed just one run on four hits in six strong innings. Burnam walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second base on a single into left field by Shoemaker. Fieser then reached on a bunt single to load the bases for Lafrenz, who launched a ball over the left field wall for his first grand slam of the season and his team-leading seventh home run of the year to give ISU a 5-3 advantage headed into the ninth inning.
Shelton then worked a quick ninth inning to pick up his fourth win of the year and secure the series sweep for the Sycamores. Lafrenz finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, the grand slam and four RBI to lead the way for ISU, while Shoemaker added two hits and a run scored in the win.
Indiana State returns to action on Tuesday in a non-conference match up against Miami (Ohio) at Sycamore Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EST.
