BOCA RATON, Fla. - Timely hitting and a pair of strong pitching performances gave SIUE softball a split of games Friday at the FAU Tournament.

SIUE, 4-8, dropped the opening game of the day 7-3 to Delaware and came back to defeat in-state rival Illinois State 4-2.

"I was really proud of how they responded in game two," said SIUE Interim Head Coach P.J. Finigan.

The Cougars opened up a 4-0 lead against Illinois State behind RBIs from Piper Montgomery, Lauren Yslava and Bailey Concatto.

Yslava had five hits on the day, including a perfect 3-for-3 performance against Illinois State.

"She (Ysalava) had a good day at the plate all day. She and Piper Montgomery are giving us a ton right now and are swinging the bats well," noted Finigan.

Lexi King threw 6 1/3 innings for her first victory of the season.

"We haven't use her (as a pitcher) as much as we would like due to the injuries in the outfield," said Finigan. "We decided to go with her today, and it was an incredible effort."

King scattered six hits and struck out six.

Mia Haynes, who dropped game one, came back and picked the final two outs in game two for her first save.

"We keep talking about her running through the finish line and getting better at finishing games," said Finigan. "She got an infield popup and the strikeout to end it. I was just really proud of how she came back and was able to face her fears in the seventh."

Haynes struck out nine against Delaware, but her 10th of the day sealed the victory.

Haynes and Katie Smith both had RBIs against Delaware as the Cougars were held to seven hits. Ysalava and Grace Lueke each had two.

The Cougars are back at FAU Softball Stadium Saturday morning with an 8 a.m. CT rematch against Delaware followed by a 9:30 a.m. meeting with Purdue.