THE RUNDOWN
 No. 23 DBU scored seven unanswered runs in the final two innings but fell short to Southern Illinois, 10-9, Saturday at Horner Ballpark. The Patriot bats that had slumbered for most of the game awoke for eight hits in the last two frames and threatened to bring DBU all the way back from its 10-2 deficit. But the Saluki lead proved too large to overcome and Southern Illinois (28-10, 6-2) held on for the series-clinching win. 


High octane offense from SIU's J.T. Weber, Kaebor Rog, and Pier-Oliver Boucher put the Pats (23-15, 4-4) behind big in the early innings. The trio went a combined 9-13 at the plate with five RBI and three home runs. As a team, the Salukis posted 14 hits and left the yard four times in a ballgame they dominated for most of the day. 

Salukis' starting pitcher Noah Farmer cruised through the first seven innings before running out of steam in the eighth. After allowing just two runs in the first six frames, the righty faltered and conceded a triple to Jace Grady to open the inning. From there, Andrew Benefield singled an 0-2 offering into left field to score Grady and reignite the offense. Cole Moore then drove a base hit up the middle to chase Farmer out of the game. 

Down 0-2 to relief pitcher Trey McDaniel, Luke Heefner drilled a single into right field to load the bases for Ryan Wrobleski. Wrobleski sent the first pitch he faced over the left-field wall for a grand slam that cut the SIU lead down to 10-7.

The Pats fought back on their final out in the ninth. Cole Moore doubled down the right-field line to drive in Miguel Santos. Then, Blayne Jones got in on the action with the 199th hit of his career, an RBI single to left field that brought the game-winning run to the plate in Luke Heefner. But Heefner would end up stranded at second base as Trey McDaniel induced a fly out to close the door on DBU.

A two-run homer and an RBI groundout put DBU behind 3-0 heading into the second. It was Ryan Wrobleski who put the Patriots on the scoreboard with an RBI single to left field. The Pats struck one more time in the middle innings as Andrew Benefield singled in the fifth to drive in Nate Rombach and make it a 7-2 ballgame. 

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 
-DBU's 11 triples are the most since the 2018 season.
-The Patriots drop to 4-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
-Blayne Jones is one hit away from the 200 mark.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 
16 - DBU has been outscored 16-0 in first innings over the last five games
1  - Connor Mackay made his debut and earned his first strikeout in a Patriot uniform. 
2  - It was a two home run day for SIU's Kaeber Rog

ON DECK 
First pitch for game three between No. 23 DBU and Southern Illinois is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.   Read Full Article