Marston leads Jacks to a sweep over IUPUI

Friday, March 28

Ralston, Neb.

3 p.m.

South Dakota State University

IUPUI

Jacks split on final day of UNI Dome Tourney

3/28/2008 1:00:00 AM | Softball

By: SDSU Sports Info

RALSTON, Neb. ? Weather forced South Dakota State to move Friday's games from Brookings to Ralston, Neb., but it gave Jackrabbit junior and nearby Elkhorn, Neb., native Jenna Marston a chance to show her stuff in front of the hometown crowd.

Marston tied a career and season-high with nine strikeouts in the Jacks 3-1 win over Summit League foe IUPUI and followed it up with a complete game shutout in the nightcap. She got plenty of help in the 7-0 Game 2 win, including a solo homerun from Kiley Schwedhelm and a 4-for-4 performance from Ashley Durazo, who also knocked in three runs.

The Jackrabbits improve to 10-17 overall and 3-2 in Summit League play with the sweep, while IUPUI falls to 1-11 overall and 0-5 in league play.

Sam Heinzman drew a walk to open the first game of the day and promptly stole second. Heinzman then advanced to third on a Brittany Postma groundout and then scored on a Durazo sacrifice fly to put the Jacks up 1-0 without the benefit of a hit.

The lack of hitting continued into the fifth inning, before Heinzman broke up the Meaghan Raynes no-hitter with a double to left that scored Stephanie Peters and Stacey Evans, who both reach on walks, to put SDSU on top 3-0.

The Jaguars left the bases loaded in the fifth and used a pair of hits and a Jackrabbit error to score an unearned run in the sixth, but Marston kept the damage to a minimum and closed out her ninth win of the season.

The second game of the day started just like the first, with Heinzman drawing a walk and stealing second, but this time, the Jackrabbits did not wait for the fifth inning to get a hit.

Brittany Postma followed Heinzman's walk with an infield single, which allowed Heinzman to advance to third. Jessica Vineyard came up next and got hit by a pitch to load the bases for Durazo, who delivered a two-RBI single to second base that gave the Jacks and early 2-0 lead.

Evans opened the second inning with a single, and after a sacrifice bunt by Greta Stroh, scored on a Heinzman double off the top of the fence in left-center field to give the Jacks a 3-0 lead.

After a scoreless third, Schwedhelm put the Jacks up 4-0 with a solo blast over the fence in left, her first homerun of the season. Shwedhelm's homerun gives SDSU seven round-trippers on the season, the same as in all of 2007. In addition only two players hit homeruns in 2007, while Schwedhelm became the sixth player to go yard in 2008.

Peters started a two-out rally in the sixth by drawing a walk. Vineyard came up next and drove her home with a double into the gap in right-center field to put SDSU on top 5-0.

Vineyard advanced to third on the throw home, and then scored on a Durazo single through the right side. Durazo then stole second, and then scored on a Dani Broshar single for the final 7-0 score.

Just three outs away from her second complete game shutout of the season, Marston gave up a one-out double in the top of the seventh, but sat down the next two Jaguar batters in order to secure the win.

Marston followed-up her career-tying nine strikeouts with seven in the nightcap, scattering five hits and did not walk a batter.

The Jackrabbits return to action looking for the sweep of IUPUI on Saturday in Ralston with the first pitch from Wager Field scheduled for 11 a.m.