Salukis extend win streak to 21 games with 5-3 win over Bluejays

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CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University softball team won its 21st-straight game Saturday afternoon, as the Salukis overcame an early deficit to down the Creighton Bluejays, 5-3 on day two of the Saluki Invitational.

The Salukis improved to 12-0 on the season and matched the school record for the best start to a season, set in 1991. Southern's 21 game win streak is currently tied with Arizona for the longest active win streak in the nation. Kerri Blaylock, in her 22nd season as Southern's head coach, was in her first season as an assistant coach at SIU in 1991.

"That 1991 team was a great team that won a conference championship and they ended up playing in a NCAA Regional," Blaylock said. "Let's just hope that we maybe will do the same thing."

After Creighton scored a pair of runs and chased Saluki starting pitcher Carlee Jo Clark with two outs in the first, Southern scored at least one run in each of the next four innings to take a 5-2 lead through five. Creighton pushed across a run in the top of the seventh and sent the winning run to the plate but Sarah Harness pitched her way out of the jam to seal the victory.

"Jen (Sewell) made a pretty good statement about this game in that it felt like a conference game," Blaylock said. "It was two pretty good teams going at each other. They got on us first and we figured out a way to settle in, get some hits, play great defense and Sarah came in and settled us down."

Harness picked up her fifth win of the season after she threw six and a third innings of six hit relief. Clark got the start but ran into trouble early, as she was pulled after she loaded the bases with two outs in the first. Harness came in and struck out the first batter she faced to quell the Bluejay threat. She settled in from there, as she retired 12 of the next 14 batters that she faced and Southern's two-run deficit turned into a three run lead.

The reigning MVC Pitcher of the Week struck out a season-high nine batters and didn't allow a walk.

"How Sarah threw is how you want pitchers to look when they come on in relief- settle in and attack the zone," Blaylock said. "I thought she did a great job of doing that."

Six different Salukis recorded a hit in the win and eight different players reached base. Bailey Caylor led the way, as she finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI. She helped SIU get a run back in the second after she smoked a pitch right at Creighton's shortstop and it ricocheted into the outfield to allow Aubree DePron to motor around from second. Maris Boelens followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 2-all.

Southern caught two-out lightning in the bottom of the third, as Tori Schullian roped a two-out double that just narrowly stayed in the ballpark. Sidney Sikes followed with a single to plate Schullian that gave SIU a 3-2 lead.

In the fourth, Caylor led off with a single and advanced to second on a perfect bunt single by Maddy Vermejan. Boelens followed with a single to plate Caylor.

After a 1-2-3 inning for Harness in the top of the fifth, Ashley Wood socked her first home run of the season to put SIU ahead 5-2.

Harness ran into some trouble in the seventh after Creighton's first two hitters singled. The Blue Jays pushed a run across on a third single in the frame but Harness buckled down and got the final two outs she needed to secure the win.

Sikes was 1-for-1 with two walks and a RBI while Vermejan was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Boelens went 1-for-3 with two RBI while Schullian and Wood both had extra base knocks in the victory.

The Salukis are back in action tomorrow when they play two to close out the Saluki Invitational. Southern will play the University of Illinois-Chicago at 12:15 pm. before taking on St. Louis University at 4:45 p.m.

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