THE LEAD
A two-run rally in the eighth inning gave Southern Illinois a 3-2 win over No. 23 DBU on Thursday in Game One of a three-game set at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis (24-25, 5-15 Missouri Valley Conference) pushed two runs across with the benefit of three hits in their comeback rally.

Jordan Martinson went six-plus innings in a no-decision, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk. The Patriots (36-16, 12-7 MVC) struck first in the fourth inning when Jackson Glenn scored on a wild pitch. The Salukis scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game.

Bryce Ball's solo home run in the sixth put the Patriots back on top, but SIU broke through against Burl Carraway to take the lead. The Patriots went down in order in the top of the ninth as SIU extended its winning streak to seven.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 - Carraway's streak of scoreless innings snapped at 15.0.
 - Ball has now homered six times in his last five games.
 - Illinois State defeated Evansville, meaning the Patriots are one game behind the Redbirds in the MVC standings.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
16 - Ball enters a five-way tie for eighth in DBU's Division I era with 16 home runs this sesaon.
99 - Martinson tied Cy Sneed for the second-most strikeouts in a season in the DI era with his 99th punchout of 2019.
2 - Ball had two of the Patriots' four hits.

UP NEXT
DBU and SIU resume their series with Game Two at 6:30 pm Friday at Itchy Jones Stadium.