Babcock, Peters lead Salukis to 8-0 start to season

Oshawa Legionaires’ grad Braden Babcock (Oshawa, Ont.) pitched five scoreless as the Southern Illinois Salukis knocked off Western Illinois 9-1.

March 3, 2021

Official Southern Illinois Athletics News Release

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Salukis scored runs in five of its last six innings and cruised past the Western Illinois Leathernecks 9-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium.

The Salukis improved to 8-0 on the season and have won 13-straight games dating back to last season.

“Everybody performed pretty well, especially after the long weekend we had,” SIU head coach Lance Rhodes said. “We had a long road trip. It felt like at times the bodies were pretty tired today. To be able to score nine runs and hold the opponent to one run on a day where we didn’t feel 100% was good.”

The Salukis (8-0) picked up a nice win over Western Illinois (1-3), which had opened its season by beating the nation’s No. 4-ranked team, Louisville, in its home ballpark.

Former Pembina Valley Orioles and Okotoks Dawg Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) is hitting .394 for the Salukis.

SIU’s eight wins this year are second-most in the nation, and SIU’s 13-game winning streak, dating back to last season, is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation. Southern’s 13-game winning streak is the longest for SIU since the 1990 Salukis won 16-straight games.

SIU’s offense didn’t have one explosive inning, but it gradually expanded the lead against Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) drove home a run in the seventh, and SIU really blew the game open with a three-run eighth. Peters is third on the team with a .394 average with a double, homer and six RBIs. He has a 1.002 OPS in eight games.

Braden Babcock (Oshawa, Ont.) got the start for SIU and was outstanding, allowing one run in five innings and picking up the win. Bubba Hall, Matthew Steidl, Kyle Back, Mitchell Jackson and Dylan Givens followed and didn’t allow a run over the final four innings of the game.

Babcock is now 1-0 with a 7.50 ERA with four walks and two strikeouts in six innings in his first two games.

Peters recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the eight-game season, as SIU remains one of 13 teams in the nation that remains undefeated.