THE LEAD
DBU defeated Southern Illinois 7-4 on Saturday afternoon in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Center fielder Jameson Hannah went 2-for-5 with five RBIs and a run scored to fuel the Patriot offense.
 
Starting pitcher and designated hitter Darick Hall (5-2) threw seven innings and struck out five Salukis to earn the win. Chad Whitmer (3-2) suffered the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings of work. Sean Stutzman picked up his second save of the season, striking out four batters in two innings of relief.
 
The Patriots put up five runs in the second inning, fueled by back-to-back homeruns off the bats of Hannah and right fielder David Martinelli. Will Farmer answered Hannah and Martinelli with a homerun of his own to lead off the top of the third inning. The Salukis trimmed the lead to 5-2 on an RBI double by Greg Lambert. With the bases loaded, Hall walked Taylor Martin to cut the lead to 5-3.
 
SIU tacked on a fourth run in the top of the sixth when Farmer grounded to third, allowing Dyllin Mucha to cross the plate. Relief pitcher Sean Stutzman came in for Hall in the eighth inning, striking out the side to keep the lead at 5-4. DBU picked up two insurance runs on a double off the wall by Hannah that knocked in Connor Hall and Tim Millard.
 
COACH DAN HEEFNER – ON SATURDAY'S WIN
"It was a good job in the fifth inning. We left a lot of runs on the bases. It was great to get the win, but we are always trying to get better."
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 - All five of DBU's runs were unearned, thanks to three SIU errors.
 - The Patriots are 17-3 when scoring first in a ballgame.
 - Saturday marked the first time Darick Hall walked more than two batters.
 
IN THE NUMBERS
1 – Jameson Hannah's second-inning homerun was the first of his collegiate career.
6 – David Martinelli tied the team-high with his sixth stolen base in as many attempts.
5 – DBU extended its win streak to five games, the second-longest of the season (6, March 1-10).
 
UP NEXT FOR THE PATRIOTS
Game two of Saturday's doubleheader begins at 5:20 p.m. at Horner Ballpark. Jordan Martinson (2-0) takes the mound for the Patriots against Michael Baird (5-2) for the Salukis.