Southern Illinoisan from Carbondale, Illinois • Page 23

Southern Illinoisan, Sunday, May 4, 1986 Page 23 SaMMs sweep ledlana State i If IIUU.UHH1 i lljjiilil nn.1,1 in I .11 I I I I oes out caps Salukis win two in style Continued from C21 lost. The Salukis only error Saturday came on a catcher's interference. The sterling defense kept SIU; breathing while its bats were dead. A sweep appeared in the bag when reliever Larry Beattie set down the first two batters of the seventh inning of game two, with SIU leading, 1-0. All that stood between SIU and victory was No.

9 hitter Jeff Buell, 1-for-6 with three strikeouts on the afternoon. With the Hill Gang on its feet, clapping for a fine out, Buele smashed Beattie's first delivery over the right field fence, tying the game 1-1. That only prolonged the festivities. Jones sent the fans home happy, ripping a 2-2 fastball over the 365-foot sign off starter Mike Gardiner in the eighth. "I tried to crank it," said Jones.

"There's nothing to lose in that situation." Beattie got the win in relief of Meyer, who was brilliant in his 5 1-3 innings, allowing but four hits and two walks. Meyer got the hook after cleanup hitter Boi Rodriguez smashed a long foul ball just outside the foul pole with one on and one out in the sixth. Indiana State did not have any serious scoring threats in the game. The Salukis scored in the first after loading the bases with none out. After Jones struck out, Jim Limper-is hit a ground ball to short, which 66 People had a chance to see baseball today as good as you'll see at the professional or amateur level.

Saluki Coach Itchy Jones xx xXN Xx vsxx xx X-. 1 XXX yxx xxX.X -x vXx xNx. X. v. Photo for the Southern Illinoisan by JIM MAENTANIS Upended: SlU's Terry Jones gets tangled with Indiana State's Boi Rodriguez in eighth inning action of game two.

Jones was attempting to complete a double play. SIU Coach Itchy Jones argued that Rodriguez ran out of the baseline 4 '7 Photo by DWIGHT NALE Bearing down: SIU pitcher Dale Kisten fires in first game complete effort "Heck yes it's frustrating," Jones said. "It's hard for us to win if I don't drive in the runs I'm supposed to." Having his family at the game gave him special reason to want to do well. "I was pressing with my family here but I can't use that as an excuse. I've got to be able to handle that." Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri.

Jones points out, however, that in the Midwest, the Division II and III programs are extremely strong, whereas in other parts of the country those type of games are considered tuneups. Jones says for SIU to get a NCAA berth without winning the conference tournament, it must win the regular season, and finish second in the post-season tournament. The NCAA tournament has 40 teams, with eight regionals. He would like to see six teams per regional. away ithe baU off but Neil Sizemore was icalled for catcher's interference to end the game.

"It's tough to lose like that," said Carterville coach Phil James. "We're really happy with the way we played, though. We've only won three games and this is the seventh game that we've lost in the seventh inning." Harrisburg beat Cobden in the first semi-final contest. Shannon Lambert was the winning pitcher. Stein was the losing hur-ler.

Clint Hodge led the Bulldogs with four hits and a RBL Brian Beal had three hits and three RBI while Bob Simpson had a pair of hits. Anna-Jonesboro narrowly missed being upset by Carterville in the other semi-final game. The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 4-3. Jeff Hill started the A-J seventh win a single. Mike Wilson then got on due to an error as did Brian Garrett.

Tim Hammon was hit by a pitch to tie the score and Jim Morrison walked to push across the winning run. you can't steal and try to take the extra base. When you have to play it station-to-station he's really effective." Harrisburg's best chance to score came in the first inning when Clint Hodge got a one-out infield single. Ed Davis then walked but Morrison promptly struck out Brian Beal and got Greg Davis to tap one back to the mound. The Bulldogs had a runner on in every inning but at no other time did they have two runners on with less than two outs.

Hodge had three of Harrisburg's. five hits while Prater led the Wildcats nine-hit attack with three. By Scott Monserud Of The Southern Illinoisan Robert Jones, reduced to silly putty for his first seven at-bats, brought out his solid gold swing in his last at-bat. Jones' 390-foot blast over the left field fence put the finishing touch on a glorious Saluki afternoon Saturday at Abe Martin Field, completing a 3-2, 2-1 sweep of Indiana State. For Jones, the home run was redemption for an otherwise long day at the plate.

"I don't think I took a good swing all day," said Jones, who could at least smile about the frustration of having left 10 teammates stranded. "I stunk up the joint." Until that is, the eighth inning of game two, with Mike Gardiner on the mound, one out and no one on. Jones went up with the idea of hitting a home run. "I tried to crank it," he said. Ahead on the count 1-2, Gardiner threw a curve, which Jones fouled off.

Another curve was outside. Gardiner then threw his last fastball, which left the playing field in a high arc, allowing Jones to stand near the plate and watch his majestic blow. The moment he saw it was gone he pumped his right arm in the arm and leaped in the air. He got a welcome home greeting that rivals any World Series hero. SIU's all-time home run leader, reduced to a designated hitter's role for this crucial series, found himself "pressing" in front of the big crowd, which included family members from Cincinnati.

He had stranded six runners in his first three trips up in game two. He struck out with the bases loaded and none out in the first inning. for other. "You look at our conference. Wichita State and Indiana State were rated at one time." Indiana State is 38-15.

Wichita State is 39-15. By reducing the number of games, "you have to select teams to play, not just put anybody on the schedule," says Jones. The warm weather teams that are used to playing 80 games, therefore, have for the most part pared off the weak sisters from their schedule. What could hurt SIU in its quest for an at-large berth are losses to the likes of Missouri-St. Louis, SIU- tntl two By Mik Quails Of The Southern Illinoisan COBDEN Getting beat in the seventh inning after leading is tough bat having it happen twice in one day is really depressing.

And worst yet it came on a fluke play. Carterville felt the sting of defeat Saturday when Cobden scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat the Lions 8-7 and capture third place in the Cobden Invitational Tournament Carterville had been beaten by Anna-Jonesboro 4-3 in a semifinal contest The Appleknockers, the No, 7 rated team in the Southern Illinoisan poll, began their comeback when Chris Chapman was hit by a pitch to start the seventh, Doug Cutrell then singled. After Rusty Orsburn struck out, John Fox walked to load the bases. Gene Vaughn followed Fox's walk by lining the ball into left for a two-run single, setting up the game winning play, Mike Dammerman squared around for a squeeze play while Fox raced for the plate Dammerman fouled running for Morrison, raced home from third. Bulldog coach Jay Thompson was impressed with Morrison.

"He's easily the best we've seen all year," said Thompson. "It's easy to see why he's so respected so much." "Morrison pitched one of his better ballgames," Bittle said. "He had good velocity and a good breaking pitch and most of the time he had good control." "We're a pretty good fastball hitting team and he threw the ball by us," Thompson said. "There's not a whole lot you can say." "When you give Jimmy a 2-0 lead he's awful tough," Bittle said. "Then WCAA leads Fymkhoysoir 0 I 1 14 I vlf XXX 4 0 uu large bid in the NCAA tournament.

SIU Coach Itchy Jones is of the opinion the Valley could have two teams chosen for the 40-team tournament. A key to getting picked as an at-large repesentative, he says, is a strong finish. "They (the tournament committee) go a lot of times by how you finish the season," he says. "We lost to Miami in our first game. That won't count as much (against us).

They'd played 16 games. We hadn't played any." Jones knows well of the committee's ways. He used to serve on it. SIU is 35-18-2 and has won five 1 ma XX XX XXX XS 4 X. -X( Xy sx.

XXVV XX? VX xxx vx Vx i vx x. XX SB. straight games, and four consecutive Valley games. Even though its record is not overwhelming, it'll stack up well to most of the top teams around the country, due to the new 60-game limitation. The days of the Arizona States and Miamis winning 60 games is over.

"Before, you look at Arizona State at 68-22 and someone else at 34-11, with exactly the same percentage, and you'd pick Arizona State," says Jones. "The greatest thing the 60-game schedule has done is take away about 20 gimmes from some of these teams. You'll see everybody within about five games of each By Mike Quails Of The Southern Illinoisan COBDEN Blaine Funkhouser looked foolish on a Bob Simpson cur-veball. Simpson paid dearly two pitches later. After taking a curve ball low, Anna-Jonesboro's Funkhouser drove a letter-high fastball over the 290-foot sign in left field, to drive in David Prater.

The two-run clout gave his club a 2-0 lead en route to a 5-0 win in the Cobden Invitational championship game here Saturday. With the win the No. 5 rated Wildcats improved to 21-3. Harrisburg, ranked No. 3 in the Southern Illinoisan poll, dropped to 16-4.

"Actually I was wishing I had that second curve back," Funkhouser said. "That was a better pitch to hit. I think the only reason the ball went out is that I was able to get around on it. He was throwing so hard that the ball went out." Funkhouser's blast provided all the runs A-J's ace pitcher Jim Morrison needed. Morrison tossed a five-hitter while striking out 12.

He did not allow a runner past second. Wildcat Coach Rick Bittle thought the homer did more than just put his ballclub ahead. According to Bittle, the Wildcats relaxed after the Funkhouser's smash. "It was a big hit," Bittle said. "That was his second homer of the year and our 17th as a team.

We've hit more for power this year than any other team I've ever had." "Being a senior made it especially sweet for me," Funkhouser said. The Wildcats added another run in the third when Tim Hammon walked and Morrison followed with a single. Prater then doubled home Hammon. Anna-Jonesboro added another run the fourth when Hill walked and Jason Karraker followed with a single. Brian Garrett singled to load the bases and Hammon hit a sacrifice fly to score Hill.

The Wildcats final run came in the seventh inning after Morrison and Prater singled. Brian Craig then singled and got caught in a run-down between first and second. While Craig was trying to avoid being tagged out, R.J. Crunk, who was MonrSsoim, ead A- slip allufa By Scott Monserud Of The Southern Illinoisan SIU's chance of gaining an NCAA tournament berth still in the balance, but the double-header sweep Saturday of Indiana State was one giant step toward its goal. The Missouri Valley's automatic bid goes to the team that wins the post-season conference tourament.

A victory today and SIU could do no worse than guarantee itself a share of the conference crown, and most likely a host's role in the tournament. An added incentive for a strong finish, however, is a drive for an at- if si, 7 99 was bobbled, allowing Gerry Pitch-ford scored. Pitchford had singled, advanced on a walk to Hilleman and moved up on Finely's bunt single. FINLEY SETTLED GAME one by lacing a ground rule double on a one hop over the right field fence to score Pitchford with one out in the ninth. Starter Paul Quinzer was replaced by ace reliever Craig Kozlowski, who faced only Finley.

Hilleman singled to put runners on first and second with one out after Pitchford walked. On a 2-1 delivery, Finley lined the ball over the head of right-fielder Paul Frye. "The pitcher made a mistake and gave me a fastball down the middle," said Finley, who hit the ball hard in first four trips to the plate. The Salukis took a 2-0 lead in the second on RBI singles by Chuck Locke and Terry Jones, and that stood up until Doug Wood belted a two-run home run to left in the fifth inning. "I got a slider up," said Kisten.

That was one of Kisten's few mistakes, as he sliced the corners of the strike zone with his curve, change and slider. "I wasn't throwing too hard," said Kisten, "but I kept the ball down and worked the ball around. I've been throwing with real good control." A model of efficiency, he used only 114 pitches in nine innings, and issued only one walk, that an intentional pass that nearly cost SIU the game. With two outs and Dan Roman on second in the eighth inning, Kisten was ordered to walk Rodriguez in 65 I wasn't throwing too hard but I kept the ball down and worked the ball around. I've been throwing with real good control.

Dale Kisten 99 order to pitch to Mike Eberle, a right-handed batter. On the third delivery, Rodriguez reached out and poked the ball into the left field corner, foul by only 10 feet. 4 'I was worried about the guy at second," Kisten said. "One time he got a real big lead." Kisten forgot about the runner, walked Rodriguez and got Eberle on a groundout to shortstop. The nine inning stint had him fresh as a daisy.

"I wasn't feeling too bad. There were so many fans that my adrenaline was pumping." Jones will send Todd Neibel to the mound in game one today. He's not sure who he'll use in the second game, which may or may not be meaningful. A Saluki win and losses by Bradley and Wichita State will clinch the crown for SIU. "Now we have to win one," said Jones.

s' If Southern Illinoisan photo by JOE JINES Coming at you: Anna-Jonesboro's Jim Morrison threw shutout in championship game of Cobden Invitational.