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EVANSVILLE, IN (SIU ATHLETICS/WSIL) -- Down to the last six outs and being no-hit through five innings, the Southern Illinois University softball team flipped the script and scored seven runs in the final two innings to stun the top-seeded Illinois State Redbirds, 7-2 and advance to Saturday's MVC Tournament Championship game. 

The Salukis will try to bring home the program's third conference tournament title when they take on the second-seeded UNI Panthers at 1 p.m.

"I don't think I've been more proud of a team because you're getting no-hit through five innings and our backs were against the wall but we were calm and focused," head coach  said. "We kept telling them we just needed a spark and  was that spark."

Southern, which was making its fifth-straight MVC Tournament Semifinal appearance, used eight hits over the final two innings to down Illinois State and advance to the MVC Championship game for the seventh time since 2004. The Salukis overcame an early 1-0 deficit with a four-spot in the sixth and tacked on three more for good measure in the seventh courtesy of  second three-run blast in as many days.

SIU starting pitcher  dazzled in her second-straight start of the tournament. After throwing a complete game, five hit shutout on Thursday, Harness improved to 21-6 on the season after she allowed just one earned run on nine hits and struck out a career-high 14 batters. The 2021 All-MVC selection was composed throughout, as she navigated around traffic on the base paths all game. Harness was unflappable- the Redbirds put multiple runners on base in six of seven innings and left 10 total on base but the sophomore hurler never flinched. 

Harness struck out eight of ISU's starting nine at least once which included a pair of three strikeout games for ISU's Reili Gardner and Spenser Strandgard. The top of Illinois State's lineup, which included All-MVC First Teamer Mack Leonard hitting leadoff, went 4-for-9 with 0 RBIs off Harness. The rest of ISU's lineup was just 5-of-19.

"What more can you say about  performance," Blaylock said. "14 strikeouts and she managed the game so well. We talked about managing through their really good hitters and getting to hitters that we felt better about facing and she did just that."

Southern used a complete team effort offensively to back Harness. Eight of SIU's nine hitters reached base at least once and seven of nine had at least one hit.  led the way, as she went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Jansen went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and 4 RBIs while  added a hit and 2 RBIs and  notched a RBI-single.

Friday's contest felt like a heavyweight title fight in a matchup of the two teams that were picked to finish 1-2 in the 2021 MVC Preseason Poll. In the regular season, Illinois State took two of three in a series in which two of the three games were decided by one run and was played at the bandbox that is Marian Kneer Softball Stadium, where the Redbirds enjoy an uptick in long balls- Illinois State hit four in its regular season series win over the Salukis and averaged 1.07 home runs per game in 2021 (compared to .67/game in neutral/away games). The Redbirds didn't hit one out on Friday and just two of their nine hits went for extra bases.

Each team landed haymakers through the first five innings Friday but neither landed a decisive blow. Southern put two runners on in the first but couldn't push one across, and Illinois State did likewise in the bottom half of the frame. The game continued in that manner until the bottom of the third, when the Redbirds used a pair of singles to take an early 1-0 lead and put the Salukis back on their heels.

After Southern went down in order in the fourth and fifth innings, Illinois State appeared to catch the Salukis on the ropes in the bottom of the fifth. The Redbirds used a single, a walk and a pair of stolen bases to put runners on second and third with one out but Harness worked out of the jam to keep it a one run game after five.

The Salukis finally broke through in the top of the sixth. SIU's leadoff hitter, , bunted her way on base, Caylor followed with a single and Boelens loaded the bases for Jansen with a single of her own. Jansen tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Vermejan but the Redbirds were able to get the second out of the frame on a base running blunder by the Salukis. Massa followed with a single that plated Boelens.  then singled up the middle to move Massa's courtesy runner, , to second. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Warwick brought them both in with a bloop single to right.

"I felt like we needed to break the gates open," Blaylock said of sending Boelens home on Massa's two-out single. "If we got thrown out, we were going to get thrown out being aggressive. Jen (Sewell) has been pretty aggressive throughout the year and we just kept with that."

The Redbirds threatened again in the sixth, as they put runners on second and third with no outs. But Harness retired the next three batters she faced to get out of the frame unscathed.

After sending the Redbirds to the mat with a knockdown in the sixth, Southern landed the knockout blow in the seventh.  lifted the first pitch she saw in the seventh to right for a single and moved to third on a one-out single by Caylor. Jansen then cleared the bases with her eighth home run of the season to all but seal the win for the Salukis.

Illinois State looked as if they might stammer to their feet in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs in the frame but pushed just one run across on a sacrifice fly before Harness drove the final nail in Illinois State's figurative coffin.

The Salukis and the Panthers will meet in the MVC Championship game for the second time in the last five years with a berth to the NCAA Tournament on the line. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. tomorrow.

NOTES

Southern defeated UNI, 3-1 in the 2017 MVC Tournament Championship game � The Salukis have advanced to the MVC Tournament Championship game seven times now: 2021, 2018, 2017, 2012, 2010, 2007, 2004 � SIU also advanced to the Gateway Championship game in 1991 and 1992 � This marks the second time that SIU has advanced to the MVC Championship as the four seed- Southern was the four seed in 2012 …� two-hit day gave her 15 multi-hit games on the season-which is tied with Jansen for the most this season �. Jansen's 28th career home run moved her into sole possession of eighth on SIU's all-time home run list � Jansen now ranks fifth in SIU history in career RBIs with 136.