HOMERS POWER JACKS TO DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP

Saturday, February 21

Murray, Ky.

10 a.m.

South Dakota State University

11-4

Green Bay

0-11

Green Bay

South Dakota State

A woman in a grey uniform with blue details swings a softball bat and makes contact with the ball going into the air

Amanda Vacanti

Photo by: Mario Terrana

2/21/2026 9:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Andrew Pedersen

MURRAY, Ky. – The South Dakota State softball team hit a combined six home runs during a pair of back-to-back games at the Velvet Milkman Classic on Saturday. The Jackrabbits earned victories in each of their showings, defeating Green Bay 10-2 and IU Indy 7-5.

Game One
SDSU opened the first game of its doubleheader by beating the Phoenix in five innings by a 10-3 score.

Green Bay scored the first two runs of the ballgame in the top of the second. Two leadoff singles got the Phoenix two base runners, then they eventually were plated on consecutive hitters who reached via a fielder's choice.

The Jackrabbits struck back with six runs in the bottom of the same frame. A two-run single by Emma Vike, which scored Ella Berlage and Alivya Bollen, tied the score at 2-2. Amanda Vacanti would hit a two-run double to extend the lead to 4-2. SDSU eventually went up 6-2 as the next batter, Abby Gentry, crushed a two-run home run.

South Dakota State starting pitcher Akayla Barnard settled in over her next three innings of work. She'd give up just two hits in that span.

The Jacks made it a 10-2 score in the bottom of the fourth. Barnard led off with a double and she'd be plated on a two-run home by Vacanti. Gentry followed her with her second homer of the game to make it a seven-run game. Bria Riebel added an RBI single to score Cece Hanson and close out the meeting's scoring.

Barnard improved to 2-1 in the circle with her five-inning complete game. She allowed two runs on five hits and four walks. Barnard struck out two.

Vike, Vacanti, Gentry and Berlage each had two hits while SDSU combined for 11. Vacanti had a team-high four RBIs. Gentry recorded her first multi-home run game of her career and it was the first by a Jackrabbit this season.

Game Two
South Dakota State scored two runs apiece in the fifth and sixth innings to rally for a 7-5 win over IU Indy.

Vacanti had three RBIs following a sacrifice fly and a two-run home run for the Jackrabbits, but SDSU trailed 5-3 heading into the fifth. The Jackrabbits got back into the mix behind a two-out rally.

The aforementioned Vacanti hit a solo home run to cut the deficit to 5-4. Gentry followed her with a double and she'd be driven in on an RBI single by Emma Christensen to tie the score.

The bottom of the fifth saw the Jackrabbits go to freshman Bella MacMahon in the circle. The SDSU pitcher, making her first collegiate appearance, breezed through the frame with a 1-2-3 inning. MacMahon got some aid from a runner caught stealing courtesy of catcher Mia Buske.

A leadoff walk drawn by Bollen proved to be vital for the Jacks. Vike came up to the plate with two outs and smacked a two-run home run to give SDSU a 7-5 edge.

Barnard came in to pitch for the Jackrabbits in the bottom of the sixth. She pitched a 1-2-3 inning, then came back out for the seventh. Barnard allowed two walks in the inning, but got out of the frame unscathed as the game ended with another runner thrown out by Buske.

MacMahon earned her first victory of her career with her hitless inning pitched. Barnard was credited with the first save of her season.

Vike, Barnard and Vacanti had two hits apiece as the Jackrabbits tallied another 10 as a team. Vacanti drove in a career-high four RBIs.

NOTES

South Dakota State finished its stay at the Velvet Milkman Classic with a 12-4 record.
The Jackrabbits are hitting .354 as a team through 16 games. All nine of SDSU's everyday starters in its lineup are hitting at least .295. Leading the lineup in average is Vacanti (.485) and Vike (.403).
Vike has a team-high six home runs. Three Jacks have five apiece in Vacanti, Barnard and Gentry. Vike has an SDSU-high 21 RBIs followed by Barnard's 17.
SDSU's 16-game start is its best since the 2021 season. That year the Jackrabbits began the season with a 13-3 record.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State will head to Tulsa, Okla., for five games at the OSU/Tulsa Invitational. The Jackrabbits open play in the tournament at Tulsa against the Golden Hurricane at noon on Friday

-GoJacks.com-