DES MOINES, IOWA - The Drake University softball team dropped its final regular season contest, Saturday, 4-2, to Southern Illinois.

The Bulldogs grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second inning when freshman Jaimie Duffek (Brookfield, Ill.) scored on an RBI single to left field by junior Molly McClelland (West Des Moines, Iowa).

Junior pitcher Jenna DeLong (Dalton Gardens, Idaho) and some nifty Drake defense held SIU to one hit and no runs through four innings. The fifth inning saw the Salukis finally get to DeLong, as SIU knocked the junior pitcher out of the game with four runs on five hits in the frame. Junior Brynne Dordel (Chanhassen, Minn.) entered in relief with two outs in the fifth and sat down the final Saluki batter to end the inning with Drake behind, 4-1.

Freshman Macie Silliman (Winterset, Iowa) led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to left field, her second of the season, to cut the Bulldog deficit to 4-2. With runners at the corners and two away later in the inning, senior Carrie Hatfield (Des Moines, Iowa) roped a shot to right field that was corralled by Saluki outfielder Katie Wilson to end the Bulldog threat.

Drake went down in order in the seventh to fall, 4-2.

Southern Illinois captured the regular season Missouri Valley Conference crown with the win.

DeLong took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits through 4.2 innings of work. The junior's record moved to 17-11 overall. Dordel allowed two hits through two and a third.

Drake finished the regular season with a 32-21 overall mark and a 12-13 Valley record.

Five seniors, Hatfield, Kelsey Kahler (North Liberty, Iowa), Elena Leon (West Des Moines, Iowa), Mandy Osborn (Blair, Neb.) and Bridget Shields (Iowa City, Iowa), were honored prior to the first pitch.

The Bulldogs await the outcome of this weekend's MVC slate to determine their seeding for next week's State Farm MVC Tournament at Buel Field in Des Moines.