CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Indiana State baseball fell in its series opener at Southern Illinois, 3-2, Friday night at Itchy Jones Stadium. The loss puts the Sycamores at 22-20 overall and 4-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play. ISU also fell to 3-9 in one-run games this season.
 
Indiana State put together a two-out rally in the third to take a 1-0 lead over Southern Illinois. It began after SIU's Michael Baird retired the first eight Sycamores he saw before Max Wright singled to center to end the streak. Leadoff man Clay Dungan drew a walk to move Wright into scoring position which allowed the sophomore to score on a fielding error at third base in the next at bat.
 
Southern Illinois (25-21, 8-5 MVC) used a three-run third inning to regain the lead. SIU picked up a pair of walks, a hit-by-pitch and a pair of base hits in the inning as ISU starting pitcher Tristan Weaver was forced to throw 35-pitxhes in the frame.
 
Grey Epps tied the game on a single to left field aided by a fielding error to score Kenton Crawford who walked to leadoff the frame. After SIU loaded the bases, JT Weber came through with a single up the middle, scoring two runs.
 
Luke Fegen would spark the two-out rally for the Sycamores in the fifth after picking up a single and moving to second on a groundout. Junior Clay Dungan would pick up the RBI in the next at bat with a single on a ball hit between first and second.
 
Junior Romero Harris drew a leadoff walk and Dungan was hit-by-pitch with two outs as the Sycamores threatened in the seventh. Southern would get out of the inning with a strikeout.
 
Tyler Grauer entered from the Sycamore bullpen in the seventh with a runner on and no outs. SIU would put another runner on as a throwing error on a bunt attempt went astray. Grauer would get a double play lineout the very next at bat, followed by a fly ball to left-center to end the threat.
 
Right-hander Ethan Larrison held Southern at bay in the eighth after tossing a perfect eighth.
 
Romero Harris recorded a one-out double in the ninth to reach base for the second time in two at bats, but a groundout to third and a strikeout would end the game as Ryan Netemeyer recorded his ninth save.
 
Michael Baird was credited with the win after allowing just three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work. The right-hander struck out seven and walked just two to improve to 5-3.
 
Tristan Weaver fell to 2-4 on the season after giving up three runs in five innings on the mound. Weaver struck out three and issued three free passes.
 
ISU was outhit by the Salukis in the game, 5-4, going down in order four times on the evening. Clay Dungan, Romero Harris, Max Wright and Luke Fegen were the lone Sycamores to record base hits.
 
The Sycamores will look to even the series Saturday with a first pitch schedule for 5 p.m. ET.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.