May 26, 2021

By John T. Lock

Southern Illinois Athletics

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Hosting the MVC Tournament for the first time since 1986, the SIU baseball team scored 13 unanswered runs en route to a 13-1 win over Bradley on Wednesday night in six innings.

More than 500 fans turned out to see the host Salukis run away with the game before it was called in the top of the seventh inning due to heavy fog.

"The ballpark was electric, and it was awesome to see the community out to support us," SIU head coach Lance Rhodes said. "Our guys fed off that. We had some nerves early. (SIU starter) Brad (Harrison) had some nerves there in the first inning. That's expected. I told the guys: If you don't have nerves, then it doesn't mean a whole lot to you. We're at a point where every game matters. They're big moments. That's why we have nerves."

Bradley (20-21) struck first with a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning. SIU (39-18), which has its most wins in a season since 1990, dominated the rest of the game. Nick Neville got it started with a solo homer to tie the game 1-1 in the second inning, and a sacrifice fly to give SIU a 2-1 lead in the third.

"A big part (of settling nerves) was Nev hitting that homer to tie it up," Rhodes said. "That swung the momentum to our side. After that, it seemed like it snowballed -- the offense, the energy in the park. I'm super appreciative of the fans that came out tonight, because they had a lot to do with us playing so well."

The Salukis blew the game open with a seven-run fourth inning. Evan Martin (single) and Grey Epps (double) gave SIU runners at second and third with one out. Austin Ulick and Cody Cleveland drove the runs home with back-to-back singles, and J.T. Weber followed with a towering three-run homer -- the 76th home run of the season for SIU, which broke a school record set in 1997.

Martin, who started SIU's rally with a single, ended the rally, as well, with a two-run, two-out single to give SIU a 9-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Any thoughts of a dramatic Bradley comeback ended after SIU followed its seven-run fourth with a four-run fifth. Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) chipped in an RBI double to push the lead to 10-1, and Philip Archer hit another towering homer -- this one off the scoreboard in right-center -- to push SIU's lead to 13-1.

"It was maybe one of the best offensive games we've had all season," Rhodes said. "We didn't swing and miss much. We didn't chase out of the zone much. When they put it in the zone, we had a lot of hard contact. We weren't just putting balls in the hole, 14-hoppers through the infield. We were squaring the balls up pretty good. When you add in the three home runs, it was a really good night offensively."

While Southern's offense dominated, Brad Harrison was masterful on the mound. Harrison, a first-team All-MVC selection, struck out 10 hitters and allowed just four hits over six innings. The only run he allowed was the first-inning homer.

"It was a good moment for him. I'm happy for him," Rhodes said of Harrison. "He's been here for five years now. He has the opportunity to pitch in the biggest game of his career, and he stepped up and performed."

In the MVC, there is a 10-run rule after seven innings, except for the championship game. Today, the game didn't get that far. A heavy fog rolled into the ballpark in the top of the sixth inning, and with no wind to move it, caused a 37-minute fog delay. The teams resumed the game and got through the sixth inning; but with two runners on and no outs in the top of the seventh, the fog returned, and the game was called.

UP NEXT: SIU faces Indiana State, the tournament No. 2 seed, at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.