Season Statistics

SPRINGFIELD – Southern Illinois tied the game with two outs in the ninth inning and hit a solo home run in the 10th Sunday afternoon to complete the sweep of Missouri State with a 4-3 victory at Hammons Field.

Missouri State (22-22, 5-10 Missouri Valley Conference) led 3-0 after three innings, with Spencer Nivens scoring on a wild pitch in the first and Mason Hull launching his 10th home run of the season in the third, but SIU (34-13, 11-4) pitching silenced the bats after that, yielding one hit over the final seven frames.

The Bears' pitching was just as good through 6.2 innings, allowing only one hit to that point before SIU's second and third knocks of the game were each good for two-out RBI in the seventh.

The Salukis got the tying run on via a hit batter in the ninth and scored on two softly-hit singles for the 3-3 tie, and Pier-Olivier Boucher got a fly ball up into the wind in the 10th that carried into the bullpen for the go-ahead home run.

Missouri State sent two balls to the warning track in its final two trips to the plate, with Hayden Moore's ball to right in the ninth being knocked down by the wind, and Grant Wood making the final out on a fly ball that Nathan Bandy caught against the left field fence.

Ty Buckner allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings in the start and Riyan Rodriguez tossed 2.2 hitless innings in relief.

Missouri State hits the road Tuesday for its final non-conference game of the season, a 5 p.m. contest at Southeast Missouri State.