(Interstat) — SIU Edwardsville at Southern Illinois 7 p.m. Tuesday, Abe Martin Field, Carbondale, Illinois Weather: 73 degrees, clear

SIU Edwardsville (30-21) travels 90 miles west to face Southern Illinois (21-28) on Tuesday at Abe Martin Field in a midweek nonconference clash. The Cougars enter on an 11-game winning streak after sweeping Eastern Illinois last weekend, outscoring the Panthers 39-15 in three games.

First baseman Ryan Niedzwiedz leads SIUE’s surge. Over his past six games, Niedzwiedz is batting .433 (13-for-30) with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He homered twice in Sunday’s 20-9 rout of Eastern Illinois and went deep three times in Saturday’s 16-4 victory. Niedzwiedz’s power binge has propelled the Cougars to 51 total home runs this season.

The Cougars swept Southern Illinois earlier this season, winning 16-6 on March 10 in Edwardsville. SIUE’s offense ranks among the conference leaders in runs per game, and the Cougars have scored at least six runs in nine of their past 10 contests.

Southern Illinois has won four of its past five games, taking all three games at Belmont last weekend. The Salukis outscored the Bruins 30-11 in that series. Right-handed reliever Meade Johnson has been a key weapon out of the bullpen. In his past two appearances, Johnson has tossed 5 scoreless innings, allowing no hits while striking out 12. He earned the win Sunday with 3 innings of one-hit relief, fanning eight.

The Salukis have struggled offensively this season, averaging just over five runs per game. Shortstop Tim Simay has provided a spark lately, going 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI in Sunday’s win.

Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-5 victory for SIU Edwardsville.

After Tuesday’s game, SIUE returns home to host Tennessee-Martin for a three-game series starting Thursday. Southern Illinois hosts Valparaiso for a three-game set beginning Thursday.