Softball sweeps doubleheader; clinches tournament berth

Saturday, May 6

Brookings, S.D.

12 p.m.

South Dakota State University

18-33, 5-11

Western Illinois (Senior Day)

19-29, 10-6

Western Illinois

South Dakota State

Photo by: Jason Salzman

5/6/2017 6:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

South Dakota State clinched a spot in The Summit League Tournament with a doubleheader sweep Saturday over Western Illinois. The Jackrabbits (19-33, 6-11 Summit League) claimed a 4-3 extra-innings win in game one and pulled out a 6-5 victory in the day's finale.

Ashlyn Bender earned the start and threw seventh complete, allowing three runs on eight hits with a strikeout. Madison Hope (2-8) earned her first win in a Jackrabbit uniform in relief, tossing the eighth in scoreless fashion without allowing a runner.

Eight Jackrabbits logged hits on the day, led by Ali Herdliska's solo home run and two runs batted in. Erin Mullen and Dana Chavez drove in the other SDSU runs.

Herdliska gave the Jacks a 1-0 lead in the first with her sixth home run of the season, launching a two-strike pitch over the left center wall.

The third saw WIU put two on with just one gone, but Bender and the SDSU defense worked out of the jam before Herdliska came through with her second RBI of the game on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

After Ponce started the frame with an infield single before Christian McKone reached on a fielder's choice. From there, Abbey Murphy and Julia Andersen strung together consecutive singles to load the bases for Herdliska, who's fly out to center was deep enough to plate McKone and put the Jacks ahead 2-0.

WIU threatened once again in the fourth, and though SDSU got two outs after facing a no-out, two-on situation, the Leatherneck pitcher Emily Ira helped her own cause with a two-run single to center to tie it, 2-all.

The visitors added another in the sixth to go ahead 3-2, but the Jacks answered immediately and drew back even behind Erin Mullen's RBI double in the bottom of the inning.

Brittney Morse started the inning with a line drive single to center before Alexis Ray entered to pinch run and took second on a sacrifice bunt. With two gone, Mullen dropped a bloop hit into right center that slid under a diving Leatherneck, allowing Mullen to take second as Ray dashed home for SDSU's third run.

After keeping WIU off the board in the top of the eighth, the Jacks came out and won it behind Chavez's walk-off single. With one out, Morse reached on a fielding error, and Mallory McQuistan followed with a line drive past the shortstop. Danielle Steffo pinch ran for Morse at second, and in the next at-bat Chavez looped an 0-2 pitch into shallow center, and heads up baserunning pushed Steffo across the plate for a Senior Day win.

Game two saw the Jacks jump on WIU right away, putting up a five-spot in the first inning before holding off a late Leatherneck rally.

Hope got the win after tossing 6.1 innings of one-run ball. She excited after the sixth as State put Katie Lang in the circle, but re-entered and recorded the final out of game action.

Six Jackrabbits tallied hits as McQuistan and Ponce each recorded brought in two runs.

With one out in the first, Andersen walked, Herdliska was hit by a pitch and Morse drew a free pass before McQuistan doubled into the left center gap, scoring two and putting runners on the corners.

After a strikeout, Baily Janssen reloaded the bases with a walk of her one, and Ponce's single through the right side scored two more. The final run came during McKone's at-bat, as a wild pitch went to the backstop and Janssen scampered home from third.

SDSU tacked on another in the third, using a bases-loaded single from Baily Janssen to score Morse, who started the inning with a single.

WIU broke through with a run in the fifth to cut the Jackrabbit lead to five (6-1) and made things interesting with four runs in the seventh, but a play at the plate from Chavez to McQuistan ended the comeback threat and secured the doubleheader sweep for State.

Game Notes

Ali Herdliska hit career home run No. 22
Madison Hope claimed her first two wins at SDSU and has allowed just two runs over her last 13.1 innings pitched.
SDSU locked up a spot in The Summit League Tournament with the two wins today, as Fort Wayne dropped both games against IUPUI and can only finish tied in the standings with the Jacks, who hold the tiebreaker.

Up Next
South Dakota State and Western Illinois finish the regular season Sunday at 11 a.m., with the final game of the series.

-GoJacks.com-