NORMAL, Ill. -- Senior starting pitcher Tyler Whitbread pitched one of his best games of the season as he helped the Sycamores stave off elimination in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship as the Sycamores defeated the Southern Illinois, 4-1 at Duffy Bass Field.
 
Indiana State (38-16) picked up three solo home runs in the game before adding an insurance run in the seventh to claim the victory and the right to face either Dallas Baptist and Illinois State contest at 8 p.m. ET Friday night in an elimination game.
 
Whitbread (8-2) finished the day tying a career high with eight innings pitched and one shy of a career high with nine strikeouts. The Camlachie, Ontario native went for a season high 131 pitches on the day as he was able to power through and save Sycamore arms for the remainder of the Championship. It was the fourth time this season the Whitbread had not allowed an earned run and the first time since March 31 against Missouri State.
 
Thursday night's starting pitcher Collin Liberatore did not get his chance at the plate against the Salukis as he was inked into the starting lineup at designated hitter. Instead, head coach Mitch Hannahs elected to insert senior Chris Ayers into the game in the second inning, and the Houston, Texas product did not disappoint as he sent the first pitch he saw out of the park in right field, just edging the foul pole to give the Sycamores an early lead. It marked the second home run for Ayers in just 47 at bats this season.
 
Southern Illinois (26-29) answered the call in the fourth when the Salukis picked up a leadoff single from Alex Lyon after the shortstop sent a ball through the left side of the infield. The Salukis then did what they have done all season when Lyon stole second and eventually moved to third on a groundout to the right side of the infield.
 
Indiana State looked to have the leadoff runner out after a chopper was fielded by Whitbread and thrown home, but Lyon was able to get back to third after Max Wright bobbled and dropped the ball on a throw attempt to the bag -- in turn allowing the SIU hitter, JT Weber to move all the way to second during the play with one out on the scoreboard.
 
Whitbread picked up a strikeout of Philip Archer for the second out, but a ball just in front of the plate got away, allowing Lyon to come home and tie the game at one.
 
Dane Tofteland and Clay Dungan would put the Sycamores back in front just minutes later after crushing solo home runs and running Saluki starting pitcher Matthew Steidl from the game.
 
The Sycamores would get out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom half of the fifth after the SIU got a single up the middle followed by a pair of infield singles. Whitbread would earn his sixth strikeout of the day when he sent Lyon back to the Southern Illinois dugout before getting a ground ball to Jarrod Watkins at second to end the inning.
 
The Trees would get a two-out RBI single from Dungan in the seventh to bring in the fourth run of the game after Ayers led off the inning with a bunt single and a stolen base.
 
Geremy Guerrero finished off the Salukis in the ninth, allowing a two-out single, but throwing just nine pitches.
 
ISU edged the Salukis in the hit column, 7-6, led by Dungan and Ayers with two hits each. Dungan also drove in two runs for the Sycamores. Southern Illinois got two hits from Kenton Crawford, but were just 2-for-15 with runners on base and stranded nine.
 
Steidl fell to 3-4 on the season after allowing three earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks over four and a third innings for the Salukis.
 
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