 | Baseball |
SIUE Baseball SIUE Athletics | |
| |||
|
BOXSCORE
|
SIUE Downs No. 1 Tampa in Baseball Opener
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball team knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation 9-4 in the first game of the NCAA-II Baseball Championship Series at Paterson Field. The Cougars (41-25), who advance to play the winners' bracket Monday at 6:30 p.m. hit five home runs to defeat the University of Tampa (49-9). Dave Crouthers (Edwardsville) started on the mound for the Cougars and improved to 10-6 after 8 1/3 innings. Crouthers, who extended his single-season strikout record to 118, also broke the SIUE record for innings pitched in a season with 112 1/3 innings. Crouthers allowed four runs on eight strikeouts and five walks against Tampa. Three of the four runs came in the bottom of the ninth and scored after he was pulled from the game by SIUE Coach Gary Collins. "Dave (Crouthers) was the key to this game," said Collins. :He was overpowering early." Crouthers took the mound in the first inning with a 2-0 lead after the Cougar bats got started right away. Luke Humphrey (Rantoul) led off the game with a base hit to right field. Chad Opel (Edwardsville) followed with a home run over the scoreboard in left field. The 2-0 lead gave me something to play with," said Crouthers. "I did not have to stress too much, and it allowed me to relax and pitch that much better." Mark Bugger (Edwardsville and Steve Berra (St. Charles, Mo.) added home runs while Nick Seibert blasted two homers to hit his team-leading 12th and 13th home runs of the season. The Cougars next play the winner of North Florida and Delta State on Monday at 6:30 p.m. -siue- |