By Matt Present. CARBONDALE, Ill. — App State got out to a 5-0 lead on the road but was unable to hold on down the stretch, as the Mountaineers dropped the series opener to Southern Illinois 7-5 on Friday.
Bradley Wilson delivered a quality start for the Mountaineers, allowing three runs over six innings, while striking out five. He didn’t allow a run in five of his six innings of work. Wilson retired 12 in a row at one point in his outing, and despite allowing a three-run home run in the fifth inning, bounced back to work a three up, three down sixth to complete his night.
App State (7-2) jumped in front in the third inning on a solo home run from Austin St. Laurent, his third of the season.
The Mountaineers followed with a four-run fifth, sending 11 men to the plate in the frame. CJ Boyd extended his hitting streak to seven in a row with a leadoff single through the left side, and St. Laurent followed with a single to center to put runners at the corners. After a walk to Braxton Church, Drew Holderbach laced a two-run double, giving the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead.
One batter later, Adam Quintero ripped an RBI single to plate Church and Holderbach and make it 5-0. Quintero joined St. Laurent with two hits in the ballgame.
After cutting into the lead with the three-run homer in the bottom half of the frame, the Salukis added a pair of runs in the seventh and in the eighth to tie and take the lead.
App State was limited to just two hits after the four-run fifth inning.
The Mountaineers and Salukis will play the middle game of the weekend series on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. ET.
