Preview: Southern Illinois at Tennessee-Martin

MARTIN, Tenn. (Interstat) — The Southern Illinois Salukis and Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks will meet for the second time in a week Tuesday at Skyhawk Park, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT under cloudy skies and a temperature near 58 degrees.

The non-conference matchup features two teams seeking momentum. Southern Illinois (9-13) arrives after dropping two of three at Illinois-Chicago, including a 6-5 loss Saturday. Tennessee-Martin (8-12) is looking to snap a three-game skid after being swept at Southeast Missouri State.

A key rematch unfolds on the mound. Southern Illinois is expected to start right-hander Troy Shepard, who delivered a dominant but hard-luck performance last week. On March 21, Shepard struck out nine over 7 1/3 innings against Illinois-Chicago but allowed four earned runs and took the loss. In his last outing against the Skyhawks on March 18, he did not factor into the decision.

Tennessee-Martin will counter with reliever-turned-starter Gabe Bryant. The right-hander has been effective in short stints, most recently throwing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts at Southeast Missouri State on March 22. He earned the win against these Salukis on March 18, recording two outs in relief during the Skyhawks’ 7-6, 10-inning victory.

That extra-inning win gives Tennessee-Martin a slight psychological edge in the recent head-to-head series.

At the plate, Southern Illinois will look to catcher Jacob McKenzie, who drove in two runs in Saturday’s loss. For the Skyhawks, center fielder Garner Anderson is coming off a 3-for-4 performance with a home run Sunday, while designated hitter TJ Dunsford also homered and had two RBIs.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Southern Illinois is projected to win 6-4.

Both teams will open conference play this weekend. Southern Illinois hosts Utah Tech for a three-game series starting Friday. Tennessee-Martin begins Ohio Valley Conference play at home against Lindenwood (MO) on Friday.