Salukis rally to down Bears on day two of Bulldog Kickoff Classic

The Southern Illinois University softball team roared back from a five-run deficit to down the Central Arkansas Bears, 9-6, in the nightcap of its Saturday doubleheader at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. Southern fell to Georgia Tech, 6-1 in the opener.

"We're going through some growing pains and we are trying to figure ourselves out," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "Every year is a new year and every team is a new team. You go through some ups and down trying to start the course. The win over Central Arkansas was a good win that we needed and we had another really good win yesterday against Mississippi State. We battled all weekend."

Southern pounded out a season-high 15 hits- its most in a game since an April 21, 2018 win over Bradley. Eight different Salukis recorded at least one hit, while five notched multi-hit games. Eight of SIU's nine runs, meanwhile, were scored with two outs.

"We showed a lot of good fight," Blaylock said. "Offensively we had a really good night tonight. We had a lot of timely hits and it came from up and down the lineup."

The Salukis found themselves down 6-1 after four innings but used a six-run fifth inning to get back into the game. Sarah Harness came on in the fifth and promptly retired six of the first seven batters that she faced. Jansen added to SIU's lead in the seventh with her fourth hit- a two-run single- to put Southern ahead for good.

Jansen did it all for the Salukis. The 2022 Preseason All-MVC selection made her third career start at second base before she entered the game to pitch in relief of Madi Eberle in the third. The Warrenton, Mo. native threw 1.2 innings and allowed no earned runs (three unearned) on two hits while striking out three to earn the win in the circle. At the plate, Jansen tied her career-high with four hits and added four RBI.

"She's such a competitor that is so mentally tough," Blaylock said of Jansen. "She wants to win and will do anything to help her team. Thats what I like most about her. You don't get a lot of accolades when you play umpteen different positions and she's not really worried about that."

A wild fifth inning was the difference in the win. The Salukis sent 12 to the plate in the top of the fifth and scored six runs on six hits and an error. All six of SIU's runs came with two outs as Sidney Sikes, Elisabeth Huckleberry, Ashley Wood and Jansen each tallied RBI-singles in the frame. Southern's six runs are tied for its most in a single inning this season.

"We got on a roll and it fed from one kid to the next to the next," Blaylock said. "It was a really good comeback."

Southern overcame adversity along the way to seal the victory. Not only did SIU get down, 6-1 after four innings, but five of Central Arkansas' six runs were scored due to or after Saluki fielding errors occurred.

Harness earned the save in relief, as she threw three innings of shutout relief to lock down the win.

In the opener, the Yellow Jackets struck first with a run on two hits in the first. Southern had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the second, as it loaded the bases with two outs but came up empty.

Georgia Tech made SIU pay for its missed opportunity, as the Yellow Jackets used five-straight singles to plate two more runs in the top of the third. Georgia Tech added a run in the top of the sixth before Southern used a sacrifice fly from Tori Schullian to get a run back in the bottom half of the frame. The Yellow Jackets, however, had the last laugh as they tacked on two more in the seventh. The Salukis loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the frame, but couldn't come up with the timely hit to break the game open.

The Salukis return to action next weekend at the 2022 Frost Classic, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Notes

Emma Austin recorded a hit in all three games that she started over the weekend and tallied her first collegiate hit and RBI in the win over Mississippi State (2/18) …Jansen's 2 RBI in the 7th inning against Central Arkansas was the 147th of her career- which is nine shy of breaking Shaye Harre's school record of 155, set in 2017 … Ashley Wood hit lead off for the first time in her career in the win over Central Arkansas … Addi Baker recorded a hit in all four games at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic … Elisabeth Huckleberry reached base at least once in all three games she appeared in over the weekend … Sidney Sikes has reached base at least once in all eight games this season, the longest reached base streak of her career … SIU's six run fifth inning is tied for its most runs in any one inning this season … Jansen is the first Saluki to record four hits in a game since Kyleigh Decker did so against Murray State on March 1, 2020.

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