SLU throws last punch in 7-6 win over SIU

Monday, April 6

Carbondale, Ill.

5:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

13-17-1

Saint Louis

24-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Saint Louis	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	7	9	2
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	2	3	1	0	6	13	1

04/06/2015 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Box Score

April 6, 2015

By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com

Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team rallied from a five-run deficit to take the lead, but Saint Louis scored two runs in the seventh to take the game back, 7-6. For a fifth time this season, SIU (13-17-1) rallied from at least a four-run deficit to take the lead; but for the first time this year, SIU didn't hang on to its lead and get a victory.

"This hurts because the kids did a great job coming back, and Savanna (Dover) threw really well," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "I thought it was a game maybe we deserved to win."

Saint Louis (24-12) raced out to a five-run lead with a four-run first inning and a solo homer in the third inning. The Billikens hit three home runs to grab the lead and chased Saluki starter Katie Bertelsen in the third. Savanna Dover came in and shut down the SLU attack. Saint Louis managed just one hit off Dover in 3.1 innings.

"She walked 11 this weekend. (Today), she threw great," Blaylock said of Dover. "I'm taking the positives right now. Now, she just needs to figure out how to finish a game. She's still young in her career. I know she's really hurting right now, and I feel bad for her."

With Dover dealing arguably her best outing of the year, SIU began its steady comeback. After Sydney Jones doubled in the fourth, Lacey Newbold and Meredith Wilson came through with two-out RBI singles to cut the deficit to 5-2. In the fifth, Kelsey Gonzalez walked to open the inning, and Merri Anne Patterson, Shaye Harre and Sydney Jones followed with consecutive singles to score the run. After Brook Womack scored another on a sacrifice fly, Newbold came through with another two-out RBI single to tie the game.

"(SLU starting pitcher Brianna Lore) was the A10 Pitcher of the Year last year," Blaylock said. "She's a great pitcher, and we did a phenomenal job finally getting on her and knocking her out of the game."

With the game still tied, Kalyn Harker started a two-out rally with a single in the sixth. Patterson and Harre came through again with consecutive singles to give Southern its first lead of the game at 6-5.

Dover started the top of the seventh inning; but after the first two hitters reached on a hit-by-pitch and a walk, Shaye Harre came in to close it out. She got two quick outs and induced a groundout from Alex Nickel, but SLU kept the inning alive after Nickel reached on a fielding error. Lindsay Friedman followed the error with a two-run single to give SLU back the lead and its first runs since the third inning.

Newbold collected her third hit of the game when she doubled in the seventh, but she was stranded on second as the Billikens won their fourth-straight game. Before today, SIU had overcome deficits of four runs against Morehead State, Wichita State, and Bradley and won all those games. A five-run deficit was overcome to tie Northern Colorado in Mexico. But just when Southern was on the verge of another improbable comeback, SLU took it away.

"Shaye did a great job," Blaylock said. "She struck out a couple, and then they got a little dumper. That's how they kept the inning going."

UP NEXT: SIU travels to Southeast Missouri for a 4 p.m. on Wednesday in Cape Girardeau, Mo. This weekend, SIU hosts MVC-leading Drake in a three-game set that starts with a doubleheader on Saturday at Noon.

NOTES: SIU had 13 hits, the most by the team in a seven-inning game this season (had 16 in a 10-inning game against Bradley)...Merri Anne Patterson (2), Shaye Harre (2), Sydney Jones (2) and Lacey Newbold (3) all had multi-hit games...Eight different Salukis had at least one hit...Harre had her 10th multi-hit game of the season.