Picking up the win in relief of starting pitcher Sarah Clark was Reilee O'Brien. O'Brien came in the game and pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up one hit, one walk and striking out five. Clark started the game and pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits, three runs, and striking out two.

Salt Lake goes for the title today at 5 p.m.

S. UTAH

SOFTBALL: Southern Utah upset top-seed Western Illinois with a 2-0 victory in the opening game of the Summit League Tournament in Macomb, Ill., on Friday morning.

WIU threatened in the first with back-to-back bunt singles, but Kristina Brooks popped up two batters and struck out another to escape unscathed.

Brooks also worked out of a jam in the sixth after back-to-back Westerwind singles and a hit batsman loaded the bases.

The Thunderbirds plated the only two runs of the game in the seventh inning when Stephanie DeJesus scored on Norian James' double to left-center.

James came in on Jenavieve Purcell's carbon-copy double to make it 2-0.

The Westerwinds' Nikki Marinec led off with a single to left, but Brooks struck out Colleen Biebel and got Julie DePolo and Jamie Goss to fly out to secure the 2-0 shutout win.

Brooks scattered six Westerwind hits over the seven innings, with five strikeouts and no walks in route to her 22nd win of the season.

The Thunderbirds managed eight hits against Summit League Pitcher of the Year Kamren Ferguson. Purcell was 4-for-4 including the RBI double in the seventh.

Brooks, who led the league in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched, but also led in losses, was snubbed from post-season all-league honors, announced just Thursday from Elmhurst, Ill.

SUU next faced North Dakota State, the winner of the other first-round match-up with Centenary, the No. 3 seed. The Thunderbirds fell to the tournament's second-seeded team 4-2 on Friday afternoon.

A hit batsman, a walk and an error added to two Bison hits, resulting in three runs in the fourth inning for NDSU.

Southern Utah responded with two runs in the fifth on Caroline Fernandez's triple, scoring Shannon Lum and Natalie McBurney making it 3-2.

The Bison added an insurance run in the final frame, as the Thunderbirds' bats couldn't find an answer for starter Andi Padilla, who allowed just four hits and struck out five for the win. Brooks gave up seven hits with four strikeouts in the loss.

The Thunderbirds meet Western Illinois this morning and will have to win three straight games in one day to claim the Summit League championship.