Softball Splits First Summit Doubleheader

Friday, March 25

Macomb, Ill.

2:00 PM

South Dakota State University

10-17, 0-1-0

Western Illinois

8-21, 1-0-0

South Dakota State

Western Illinois

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

3/25/2016 7:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Ryan Sweeter

MACOMB, Ill. – The South Dakota State softball team opened Summit League play on Friday with a doubleheader split at Western Illinois, falling 4-1 in the opener before winning the nightcap 9-8, thanks to a 9-run fifth inning.

The Jackrabbits end the day with an 11-18 overall mark, while the Fighting Leathernecks enter tomorrow's series finale with an 8-22 mark. Both teams start league play with the same 1-1 mark.

Western Illinois scored the only two runs it needed in the bottom of the first inning of the opener, but added single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings before the Jacks got on the board with an Ali Herdliska home run in the sixth for SDSU's lone run.

The Leathernecks broke open a scoreless Game 2 with five runs on five hits and two SDSU errors in the second inning to take the early lead, which lasted until the top of the fifth, when the Jacks bats came alive.

SDSU sent 14 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring nine runs on eight hits, with an RBI double from Christan McKone, a two RBI double from Lauren Chirnside, Herdliska's second homer of the day, a two run shot, a two RBI double single from Dana Chavez and RBI singles from Chirnside and Devan Larsen. Added all up, SDSU led 9-5 after four and a half innings.

Still up 9-5 into the sixth, Western Illinois got one run back and then added two more in the bottom of the seventh to make it interesting, but the Leathernecks could not complete the comeback.

The Jackrabbits and Fighting Leathernecks play the rubber game of the series on Saturday at 11 a.m.