Box Score

The DBU Patriot Baseball Team earned an 11-6 win over visiting Southern Illinois University, Thursday evening at Horner Ballpark. With the Missouri Valley win, DBU improves to 34-18, 12-7 in league play. The two clubs compete in game two and three of the regular season finale, Friday and Saturday.
 
Thursday's win also marks win No.250 in the career of DBU Head Coach Dan Heefner. Among the top five winningest coaches all-time, only Gene Stephenson of Wichita State and Mark Marquess of Stanford reached the 250 milestone by Heefner's age 36.
 
The Patriots tallied a single run in the first, loading the bases before Austin Listi flew out to deep center, scoring Drew Turbin on the sacrifice fly. Southern Illinois countered with a single run in the fourth, coming on a solo home run by Cody Daily.
 
The DBU defense prevented a second run in the fourth, as Justin Wall and Camden Duzenack combined to gun down Jake Hand, who was attempting to score from first on a double by Matt Jones.
 
The Patriots broke things open in the fifth, capitalizing on a two-out error to rattle off six runs, including run scoring singles from Austin Listi, Wall, RJ Talamantes, and Duzenack, running the score to 7-1 in favor of the home club.
 
The two-out error bug bit the Salukis again in the sixth, as DBU pushed another pair across to extend their lead to 9-1. Daniel Salters scored on the throwing error, which also advanced Listi to third, with the sophomore scoring the next pitch on a single up the middle by Wall.
 
DBU added a single run in the seventh, as Duzenack hit his third single of the day, moving to third on a double by Nash Knight, and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Turbin. SIU countered with a pair in the top half of the eighth, scoring on an RBI single by Ryan Casillas and a bases loaded walk by Daily.
 
After DBU scored another single run in the eighth, the Salukis clawed back with three runs in the ninth, before Josh Urban was able to strand runners on second and third, completing the 11-6 win.
 
Cy Sneed (8-3) started and worked seven strong innings for DBU, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out two without allowing a walk.
 
"Cy (Sneed) was outstanding, he did all the things he's been working on," said Heefner following the win. "He kept his fastball down and his breaking ball was sharp."
 
Wall and Duzenack led a 13-hit Patriot attack, each earning three. Wall tallied a pair of RBI, joined by Listi and Talamantes to lead the club. Duzenack and Listi each scored twice, one behind Salters' game-high three runs scored. Listi and Knight each tallied two hits.
 
"I thought all the hitters competed well against (SIU starter) Sam Coonrod," added the DBU skipper. "They worked hard to get his pitch count up, and other than missing the opportunity to score more in the first, the guys did a good job against a good pitcher."
 
Coonrod drops to 1-6 after working 4 2/3 innings for SIU (25-27, 4-15). The junior allowed seven runs, just one of them earned, on seven hits, striking out three and walking three. Jones led the club with three hits, while Casillas and Daily each tallied two RBI.