PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico -- Southern Illinois put up crooked numbers in every inning it batted, and defeated Sacramento State, 9-1, in five innings on the final day of the Puerto Vallarta Challenge.
The Hornets (3-6 overall) conclude the three-day event with a 1-3 record. That includes a win over Kansas, and losses to North Dakota State, 11th-ranked Tennessee and Southern Illinois.
The Salukis conclude the tournament with a 2-2 record, and improved to 6-2 overall.
Southern Illinois scored twice in the first, second and third innings, and tacked on three more runs in the fourth. The game was stopped after the Hornets hit in the top of the fifth because of the eight-run rule.
The Hornets got their first hit and run of the game in the fourth inning when
Carley Morfey crushed an 0-1 pitch over the center field wall for her second homer of the season.
Katie Marsh added a pinch hit single in the fifth for the Hornets' two hits.
Caroline Evans worked the first three innings in the circle for Sacramento State, while
Savannah Wahl pitched an inning in relief. Of Southern Illinois' nine runs, four were unearned.
The Hornets return to action next week when they compete in the Silicon Valley Classic from Friday-Sunday. Sacramento State will play games on both Santa Clara and San Jose State's fields during the tournament. On Friday, the Hornets will play UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m., and Santa Clara at 3:30 p.m.
