Baseball Defeats Northern Illinois 6-5 in Extra Innings

Saturday, March 5

Carbondale, Ill.

1:00 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

7-4

Northern Illinois

0-5

Northern Illinois

Southern Illinois

03/05/2005 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

March 5, 2005

by Dustin Thompson
www.SIUSalukis.com

Final Stats

CARBONDALE, IL. - With two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Southern Illinois University catcher Brandon Lutz delivered a game-winning single, driving in Chris McCulloch to give the Salukis a 6-5 victory over Northern Illinois University Saturday at Abe Martin Field.

Andrew Weber (2-0) picked up the win for the Salukis (7-4), holding Northern scoreless in the top of the 10th inning. NIU's Mark Badgley (0-1) was tagged with the loss, as the Huskies dropped to 0-5 on the season.

Northern Illinois struck first in the game, picking up a run in the opening frame. However, Saluki right hander P.J Finigan worked out of a first-inning jam, leaving the bases full of Huskies.

In the bottom of the first Matt Brewer singled home Kevin Koski to tie the game, 1-1.

A see-saw battle ensued as NIU scored two runs on two hits in the second inning, while Southern responded in their frame with an RBI single by Tyler Lairson to close the deficit to 3-2.

Chris McCulloch knotted the game at 3-3 on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.

However, NIU re-claimed the lead after Kyle Cherney drove an RBI single to left-center to put the Huskies back on top, 4-3, in the top of the seventh.

Southern answered in the eighth inning as Grant Gerrard crushed a two-run homer to give the Salukis the 5-4 lead. The home run was Gerrard's second in the series.

An RBI single by Northern's Tug Gillingham in the ninth tied the game, 5-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Salukis loaded the bases with one out. However, Nathan Emrick hit into a fielders' choice, and Brewer popped out, sending the game into extra innings.

The Salukis will try to sweep the three-game series with NIU tomorrow. First pitch at Abe Martin Field is at 1 p.m.