THE RUNDOWN
DBU dropped the regular-season finale to Southern Illinois, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon. The Patriots (33-15, 18-6) left the door open for the second straight day and saw a one-run lead slip away in the bottom of the eighth as SIU (38-15, 15-13) scored three runs en route to a 5-3 win.  

The Patriots scored first for the fourth straight game against SIU, pushing two across in the fifth inning against Noah Farmer. Christian Boulware singled up the middle and Ryan Wrobleski lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 2-0 DBU.

In the sixth inning, the Salukis came back to life, pushing two runs across against Jared Pettitte. The Patriots responded, however, by plating the go-ahead run in the eighth when Jace Grady roped an RBI single into left field.

Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn't hold the lead and the Salukis scored three times in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. They would hang on to their advantage, winning the game and splitting the series with the Patriots.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU scored first in all four of their games against SIU.
- The Patriots will play on Wednesday against the highest remaining seed after Tuesday's play-in game.
- DBU finishes the 2021 regular-season campaign with a 33-15 record.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5 - The Patriots were out-hit by the Salukis, 8-5, in the finale.
33 – With his RBI single in the eighth, Jace Grady continues to expand his career-high in RBI with 33 this season.
96 – Kragen Kechely made his 96th career appearance on the mound this weekend for the Patriots.

UP NEXT
The Patriots will await their opponent in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday in Carbondale, Illinois. The Patriots will play the highest remaining seed after the play-in games on Tuesday.