BROOKINGS The South Dakota State softball team won two of three games in their home opening series over the weekend against South Dakota. The Jackrabbits dropped the series opener on Saturday but then bounced back with a doubleheader sweep on Sunday.
It was the first game at Jerald T. Moriarty Field on Saturday. Its the same complex for the Jacks, but they now have turf on the entire field and that led to the name change.
SDSU is now 20-18 overall and 5-1 in Summit League play. The Jacks play a three-game series at St. Thomas next weekend. Theyll play a doubleheader on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday.
Saturday
South Dakota 9, SDSU 5
South Dakota jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and didnt look back in the first game of the series on Saturday.
Madison Evans hit a two-run single to put the Yotes up 2-0 with one out in the top of the first. Clara Edwards then came to the plate and sent one over the left center wall and USD led 4-0 after the first inning.
The Jacks would cut the lead to 4-3 in the third inning. Emma Christensen reached on an error to begin the inning and then Mia Jarecki hit a one-out double. Akayla Barnard then hit both runners home with a single and Brooke Dumont walked to put two runners on again. Barnard would score on a throwing error and that cut the deficit to one heading into the fourth.
Neither team scored in the fourth or the fifth, but the Coyotes extended the lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth. Brooke Carey came to the plate with runners on second and third and she hit a double to score Autumn Iversen and Rylie Jones.
SDSU answered with one run in the bottom of the inning. Emma Vike came to the plate with two outs and hit it over the center field wall to make it 6-4 heading into the final inning.
USD added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Evans led off the inning with a double and then she was hit home on a double from Jones. Iversen then launched one over the left field wall and the Yotes took a 9-4 lead into the last half inning. Barnard hit an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh but it wasnt enough and the Jacks lost the series opener.
SDSU had six hits as a team. Barnard was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Vike was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Jarecki, Dumont and Christensen were each 1-for-3.
Barnard got the start for the Jacks and pitched just one third inning. She gave up four earned runs on three hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Sylvia Shromoff pitched the next five innings. She gave up two earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Tayler Baker pitched the final one and two thirds innings. She gave up three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
Sunday
Game 1: SDSU 8, South Dakota 5
A big fourth inning for the Jacks proved to be the difference in the first game on Sunday.
Neither team scored in the first two innings but each team got on the board in the third. White hit an RBI single for the Yotes and Vike answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to make it 1-1 heading into the fourth.
The Jacks then scored three runs in the fourth. Cece Hanson walked to begin the inning and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jarecki. Barnard hit a single and Dumont walked to load the bases up with one out. Abby Gentry then hit a bases clearing double to make it 4-1.
SDSU extended the lead to 5-1 in the fifth. Caitlyn Wells and Dumont were hit by a pitch and Barnard walked to load the bases up with two outs. Gentry then drew a bases loaded walk to score another run for the Jacks.
USD would cut the lead to 5-4 in the top of the sixth. Evans hit an RBI single and Iversen then hit a two-run double to cut the lead to one heading into the bottom of the sixth.
SDSU answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Jarecki hit a two-run single and Gentry was walked again with the bases loaded to make it 8-4 heading into the final inning. Evans hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh but it wasnt enough for USD.
The Jacks had nine hits as a team. Gentry was 2-for-3 with five RBIs and Jarecki was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Vike was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Christensen was 2-for-3 and Hanson was 1-for-2. Barnard was 1-for-3.
Madi Mangulis got the start for SDSU and pitched five innings. She gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Hailey Herman pitched the final two innings and gave up one earned run on no hits with two walks and no strikeouts.
Game 2: SDSU 4, South Dakota 3
Madi Conklins pinch hit walk-off single in the seventh inning gave the Jackrabbits the series victory on Sunday afternoon.
SDSU struck for two runs in the bottom of the first. Gentry hit a two-out RBI double and then came home on a Vike single to make it 2-0. USD tied the game in the third as Edwards hit a two-run double.
Each team then scored a run in the sixth. Tatum Violatta put the Yotes in front in the top of the inning with an RBI double. Dumont then singled to lead off the bottom of the inning and then came home on a single from Alli Boyle to make it 3-3 heading into the final inning.
Alivya Bollen hit a one-out single for the Jacks in the bottom of the seventh. She then advanced to second on a Jarecki single. Thats when Conklin came to the plate as a pinch hitter and ended the game.
Conklin was 1-for-1 with an RBI. Vike and Boyle were each 1-for-3 with an RBI. Gentry was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Dumont was 2-for-3. Bollen was 1-for-1 and Jarecki was 2-for-4.
Shromoff pitched the first three innings for SDSU. She gave up two earned runs on four hits with one strikeout and two walks. Baker pitched the final four innings and got the victory. She gave up one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Leave a Reply