Jacks top Hawkeyes to earn Friday split

Friday, March 6

Madeira, Fla. (Field 1)

8 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Florida Gulf Coast

3/6/2020 3:15:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

MADEIRA, Fla. -- The Jackrabbit softball team opened its stay at the 2020 Spring Games with a split Friday. South Dakota State (9-7) dropped a 12-5 affair to Florida Gulf Coast in its first game of the day, but bounced back with a dominant 8-2 win over Iowa.

Florida Gulf Coast 12, South Dakota State 5
Morgan DeMarais started and threw into the third, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits with one strikeout. Emma Hardin entered in relief and pitched the next 1.1 frames with four runs allowed on six hits. Kendra Conard finished the game, giving up two runs on two hits.

Mia Elliott powered the offense with her first career grand slam, adding a single in the later innings to go 2-for-4 at the plate with four runs batted in.

Allison Yoder and Peyton Daugherty each had two singles, while Kelsey Lenox drew a pair of walks.

State put runners in scoring position in the opening frame but was unable to break through until the top of the third.

Daugherty singled and Olivia Pfeifer reached on a fielder's choice before a one-out Kelsey Lenox walk loaded the bases. Elliott followed with her first home run of the season, launching an 0-1 pitch over the left-center wall for a grand slam.

Momentum flipped in the bottom of the inning, however, as FGCU struck back with eight runs of its own to go ahead, 8-4.

The Eagles added two more in the fourth, then after the Jacks got one back on Cylie Halvorson's sixth-inning sacrifice fly, used a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to take a 12-5 lead.

South Dakota State 8, Iowa 2
Grace Glanzer tossed a complete game in her eighth win of the season, allowing two runs (both unearned) on eight hits while notching five strikeouts.

Daugherty, Halvorson and Yoder turned in multi-hit performances as Halvorson drove in a game-high three.

Elliott and Lenox (two RBIs) each homered in the win.

Scoreless through two, Iowa got on the board first with a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the third.

The Jackrabbits responded in their half of the third with two runs as well, drawing even with the Hawkeyes, 2-2. Yoder singled with one out, and after taking second on a wild pitch wheeled around to score on Daugherty's RBI double. Daugherty came in soon after as Halvorson sent a ball to the left-center gap.

Two innings later, SDSU took the lead for the first time with a string of two-out hits. After a fielder's choice and stolen base left Daugherty on second with one gone, Halvorson put the Jackrabbits in front with an RBi single, then came in as Lenox blasted her sixth home run of the campaign. Elliott followed with a solo shot of her own in the next at-bat, as State went back-to-back and built a 6-2 lead.

The Jacks tagged the Hawkeyes for two more in the sixth. Yoder (walk) and Daugherty (single) reached with two gone, and after Yoder scored on Jocelyn Carrillo's RBI single, Daugherty came around to score after Halvorson reached on an error.

Game Notes

South Dakota State is 1-3 all-time against Florida Gulf Coast and 3-9 against Iowa with three-straight wins over the Hawkeyes.
Mia Elliott's grand slam was the first of the season for a Jackrabbit. The last grand slam came May 9, 2019 against Purdue Fort Wayne (Mallory McQuistan).
Kelsey Lenox maintained a hold on third-place in the league with six home runs.
Grace Glanzer now has eight wins in 10 appearances.

Up Next
South Dakota State plays two more games Saturday in Madeira, Florida. The Jacks will take on Loyola Chicago at 1 p.m. CST, then wrap up the day against Holy Cross at 3:30 p.m. CST.

-GoJacks.com-