By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was just one of those days for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Sunday afternoon, as Southern Illinois squared the weekend series behind a 9-1 victory over the Golden Eagles at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The Salukis (2-3) found their offensive groove in the second game of the series after the purple and gold (6-1) limited the visitors to just two runs in the series opener on Saturday. Southern Illinois mashed out 14 hits on the day while starter Alec Nigut held the Tech bats to just five base knocks of their own.
The two sides traded zeroes over the opening three frames, but it was the visitors from up north that broke through first. SIU's Cecil Lofton snapped the scoreless tie with a lead-off home run to right field to lead off the fourth.
The Salukis made it a 2-0 lead in the fifth, using an RBI single to double their advantage. The Golden Eagles strung together a mini rally in the fifth to plate their lone run of the contest, with first baseman Carter Vrabel singling to center field with one out.
After SIU picked up its second out, the Cookeville crew drew three consecutive walks, with left fielder Jackson Green earning an RBI for his free pass with the bases loaded. The Saluki answered back with a monster sixth frame, plating five runs on six hits, including another long ball, three singles, and a triple.
Equipped with a 7-1 advantage, Southern Illinois tacked on two more runs in the seventh to make it an eight-run contest.
Third baseman Preston Steel paced the Tech bats with a 2-for-4 day while Vrabel scored the purple and gold's lone run.
Freshmen hurlers Jaxon Pridgen and Logan Moller combined to shut out the Saluki offense over the final 2.2 innings of the contest. Pridgen finished off the final two outs of the seventh while securing his first career strikeout. Moller closed out the ninth, forcing a foul-out, a pop-up, and a ground-out.
The rubber match of the series is slated for a 1:00 p.m. CT first pitch Monday afternoon at the Quill. Admission to all Tech home baseball games is free of charge.
Photo by Jim Dillon
