Southern Illinois overcame a three-run deficit with 10 unanswered runs, then held off Missouri State's late surge for a 12-10 victory Saturday to clinch a series win and send the Bears to their sixth-consecutive Missouri Valley Conference loss.
Connor Kopach led SIU's 14-hit attack with a 4-for-6 day that included key run-scoring hits during the Salukis' scoring bonanza that saw the visitors climb out of a 4-1 hole with back-to-back four-run innings.
The Salukis (27-19-1, 8-6 MVC) rode an RBI single from Greg Lambert and a three-run homer by Logan Blackfan to take a 5-4 lead in the fifth, after Kopach ignited a one-out rally with a double against MSU starter Jordan Knutson. Ryan Smith drew a walk before Lambert's base hit plated a run, and Blackfan followed with a booming three-run blast to right to hand SIU its first lead of the day.
Kopach struck again the following inning with an RBI single that stretched the lead to 6-4, then came home on Smith's two-run triple to center off MSU reliever Jake Fromson. Lambert tacked on another tally with a sacrifice fly to left, and SIU scored two more in the seventh to take an 11-4 lead when Ryan Sabo singled home a run before Kopach's second double–and fourth hit–of the day made it a seven-run contest.
The Bears (29-16, 3-10 MVC) made some noise of their own in the seventh, as Jake Burger stopped the string of unanswered runs with an RBI double, following a walk to Hunter Steinmetz and an Alex Jefferson single. Jeremy Eierman's two-run single to left cut into the deficit further, and Justin Paulsen's two-run home run pulled MSU to within two runs.
MSU would squander an opportunity to draw even closer after Spencer Johnson doubled–still with nobody out–and moved to third on a wild pitch. SIU reliever Seth Hackett worked the Salukis out of the jam by striking out Blake Graham and inducing an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play off the bat of pinch hitter Eduardo Castro.
After SIU pushed its lead back to three runs with an unearned run in the top of the eighth, the Bears threatened again in the home half of the inning before the Saluki bullpen would come up big for the second day in a row. A leadoff walk to Steinmetz and another hit by Burger set the table, before Eierman's bouncer to shortstop was mishandled to load the bases with just one out. Paulsen brought in Steinmetz with a sac fly to make it a 12-10 game, but Johnson struck out against Austin McPheron to strand the potential tying run at first.
Saluki closer Ryan Netemeyer walked the tight rope in the ninth, issuing a two-out walk to Jordan Hovey and hitting Steinmetz with a two-strike offering. But the right-hander got Jefferson to pop-up to second to wrap up the save and the series for the Salukis.
MSU, which dropped its fourth consecutive Valley series with the loss, built its early lead courtesy of the long ball, as Johnson belted his 15th homer of the season to open the scoring in the bottom of the second. A two-out error on Graham's chopper to short plated the go-ahead run for MSU in the fourth ,after a two-out rally by SIU leveled the score in the top half of the inning. Aaron Meyer followed with a two-run shot to right-center to hand the Bears a 4-1 advantage.
Burger and Johnson each drove in runs with two-hit days for MSU, while Jefferson added a 2-for-5 effort. Knutson (5-5) suffered his fourth-straight losing decision after allowing five runs on six hits over his 5.0 innings.
In addition to Kopach's season-best four-hit effort, Blackfan and Taylor Martin also produced two-hit games for SIU, while Smith and Lambert drove in two runs each for the Salukis.
Marciano (4-4) earned the victory with 5 1/3 innings of work, over which he allowed just one earned run (four total) on four hits, while fanning six batters.
The Bears will attempt to salvage the final game of the series Sunday (May 8), when the two clubs meet again for a 1:05 p.m. contest.
