Baseball

Baseball Looks to Build on Momentum
        After winning three of its last four games, the SIU Edwardsville baseball team will try to continue its string of good play when it plays host to Missouri-St. Louis on Wednesday and Thursday at Roy Lee Field. First pitch for both games is slated for 2 p.m.
        SIUE, 7-17 overall and 4-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, leaped to the eighth spot in the GLVC standings after picking up three conference wins last week.
        It will now focus on Missouri-St. Louis, which enters the week 11-14-1 overall and 6-6 in conference play. UMSL is coming off a doubleheader split against Southern Indiana.
        SIUE will then play a home-and-home series with Southern Indiana on Saturday and Sunday. USI, which enters the week 9-20 overall and 5-11 in the GLVC, visits Lee Field Sunday for a 1 p.m. start.
        Things have looked to start coming together for the Cougars, who defeated Lewis in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday to give Coach Gary Collins his 800th career win.
        “Winning 800 games is a very big testament to the players who have came through the program,” Collins said.
        The Cougars then won a rain-shortened game on Sunday against Lewis in come-from-behind fashion. SIUE rallied from a 4-1 deficit to pick up the victory.
        “We swung the bats better last week,” Collins said. “Craig Ohlau (Chester) is starting to hit and Eric Tritsch (Troy) is giving us something at second.”
        Freshman Adam Tallman (Gillespie) continues to lead the team in hitting with a .385 average and continues to receive praise from Collins.
        “Tallman has been very consistent all year,” Collins said. “He has a great approach at the plate.”
        Jared Brueggeman (East Alton), who hit three home runs in a seven-inning game at Quincy, is hitting .352. Robert Rahn (Wood River) and Ohlau are hitting .312 and .304, respectively. Kyle Martin (Byron) drove in three runs in SIUE’s win on Sunday.
        The bullpen is another reason why the Cougars have been playing well as of late. Collins said the addition of Ron Jones (Kankakee) and the emergence of Jameson Sheley (Lincoln) and Pat Evers (St. Louis) has been a good complement to SIUE’s starting pitching.
       
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