Southern splits against BYU, Nevada at Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

Friday, February 27

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

2-6-1

BYU

12-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
BYU	2	0	0	0	0	3	3	8	10	0
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1

Southern splits against BYU, Nevada at Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

02/27/2015 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Feb. 27, 2015

By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com

BYU Box Score | Nevada Box Score | Photo Gallery

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - The Southern Illinois softball team split a pair of games at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Friday, losing 8-0 to BYU before rebounding for a 6-5 eight-inning win against Nevada. SIU moves to 3-6-1 overall and 1-1-1 at the tournament following Friday's action.

SIU started freshman Savanna Dover against BYU (12-6), and Dover pitched arguably her best game of her young Saluki career. Dover gave up a pair of runs on three hits in the first, but the freshman settled down and shut out the Cougars for the next four innings. But Southern couldn't generate any offense against BYU starter McKenna Bull, who pitched a two-hit shutout. SIU never had a runner get past second base, and BYU put the game away with six runs over the last two innings.

"Savanna Dover did a fantastic job to keep us with a very, very good BYU team," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "We made some mistakes, and they strung some things together, but it was a positive how she threw the ball. If she can do that against the majority of teams, we're going to be in good shape."

Against Nevada (3-15), SIU went to extra innings for the third time in 10 games this season. For the first time all year, the Salukis played with a lead for most of the game. Entering the game, Southern had batted with a lead just three times in 63 innings. After a three-run second inning, SIU did it for five-straight innings.

Katie Bertelsen settled in after Nevada got within 4-3 after the second inning. Bertelsen didn't allow a run or a hit for four-straight innings, and SIU entered the seventh leading 5-3. Nevada opened the bottom of the seventh with a single and a home run to tie the game and send it to extras.

Unlike yesterday's extra-inning tie with Northern Colorado, the teams played tournament rules for extras today, with a runner being placed on second base to start the inning. Caylee Cook put down a sacrifice bunt to move Savannah Fisher to third, and Fisher scored when Nevada's catcher overthrew the pitcher on a toss back after a pitch. Bertelsen regained form in the eighth and induced two weak pop ups after Nevada sacrificed its runner to third, earning Bertelsen her first win of the year.

"I'm really proud of the kids for gutting out a win against Nevada tonight and finding a way to win," Blaylock said. "Katie Bertelsen threw a really gutsy performance and did a really good job, and we got big hits in big moments."

Notes: True freshmen Savannah Fisher and Sydney Jones each extended their team-best reached base streak to eight games...Southern only played one extra inning game all last year and has already played three in the first 10 games of this year.