TEMPE, Ariz. – The SIUE softball team resumed play at the Arizona State Littlewood Classic Saturday afternoon, facing defending national champion Oklahoma at Farrington Stadium.

The Cougars fell 7-2 to the seventh-ranked Sooners, a day after suffering a 5-2 defeat at the hands of fifth-ranked Arizona State.  SIUE is now 1-6 on the season but has already played four teams ranked in the top 25 nationally.

"I'm proud of how we competed (against Oklahoma)," Head Coach Sandy Montgomery said.  "We weren't intimidated, and we kept at it.  These games are good experience for us; hopefully they will pay off at the end of the season."

Rachel Keller delivered a two-RBI double in the seventh inning against Oklahoma, as the Cougars notched a season-high eight hits.  Each of SIUE's eight hits came from a different player on the roster.

"We're starting to show what we're capable of offensively," Head Coach Sandy Montgomery said.  "We still have a long way to go, but we're being more aggressive early in the count and we're taking quality at-bats."

Montgomery was also pleased with the way her team competed throughout the entire game against one of the top-ranked teams in the country.

"Scoring two runs in the seventh was good for us," Montgomery said.  "We competed all the way through."

Against Arizona State on Friday night, the Cougars used RBI's from Alex McDavid and Allison Smiley to narrow the hosts' lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning.  The undefeated Sun Devils responded when Bethany Kemp hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to seal the win for the hosts.

SIUE continues its five-game weekend when they take on third-ranked Washington Saturday night.  The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT.

"Washington is going to be tough," Montgomery added.  "They're a very disciplined hitting team, and they're swinging the bats well.  We'll keep competing tonight, and we'll try to play the way we want to play."