Jacks down Jags in series finale

Sunday, April 17

Indianapolis, Ind.

12 p.m.

South Dakota State University

IUPUI

4/17/2011 3:35:00 PM | Softball

By: SDSU Sports Info

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - South Dakota State pounded out nine hits, including a two-run homerun from Tina Winter, and capitalized on four IUPUI errors to earn a 6-4 win on Sunday at IUPUI to avoid the series sweep.

The Jackrabbits improve 9-32 overall with the win, and 6-9 in The Summit League. The Jaguars fall to 12-26 overall and 7-8 in league play.

The game started ominously for the Jackrabbits when IUPUI leadoff batter Hannah Croucher opened the bottom of the first with a solo shot over the center field fence.

Jackrabbit starter Pam Nicholson quickly recovered by striking out the next batter, but that would be the last batter she faced, as an injury forced her to leave the game.

Kori Seidlitz came in for the injured Nicholson and got the Jacks out of the inning. Seidlitz got some run support in the fourth, with an Ashley Durazo single, followed three batters later by Winter's team-high third homerun of the season that put SDSU up 2-1.

The Jacks went up 3-1 in the fifth on a Durazo sacrifice fly that scored Devon Reick, only to see the lead vanish when the Jaguars scored three runs on a pair of hits, including another Croucher homerun, in the bottom of the fifth to go up 4-3.

SDSU quickly tied the game with an unearned run in the sixth, and then went up for good in the seventh, capitalizing on a pair of IUPUI miscues to score two runs on two hits to go up 6-4.

Seidlitz walked one and struck out one in the seventh before catching the final out of the game herself, a tough comebacker that she snagged to seal the win. Seidlitz pitched six and two-thirds innings of relief to earn her fifth win of the season, giving up three runs on four hits with seven walks and four strikeouts.

Reick, Morgan McCabe and Kelsey Waltz all went 2-for-4 in the win. Durazo went 1-for-3 on the day with an RBI and two runs scored, while Winter finished the day 1-for-3, with the two-run homerun and a base on balls.

The Jacks return home to face North Dakota for a doubleheader on Wednesday at Jackrabbit softball stadium at 3 p.m., and then take on North Dakota State in Summit League action next weekend.