BARNARD GEM HIGHLIGHTS JACKS VICTORY OVER YOTES

Saturday, March 21

Vermillion, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

17-19, 2-0

South Dakota

8-23-1, 0-2

South Dakota State

South Dakota

A woman in a grey softball uniform throws a softball towards home plate while pitching

Akayla Barnard

Photo by: Andrew Pedersen

3/21/2026 4:03:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

VERMILLION, S.D. – A second consecutive day saw South Dakota State take advantage of a strong pitching effort as the Jackrabbits defeated South Dakota, 9-0, in six innings at Nygaard Field on Saturday. The win provided SDSU softball a series win with a game to go between the Jackrabbits and Coyotes.

Junior Akayla Barnard received the nod in the circle for the Jackrabbits and got off to a stellar start. She kept the Yotes hitless over the first three innings, and allowed just two runners in that span, to turn things over to the SDSU lineup.

South Dakota State scored two runs in the second to go ahead early. Barnard helped her cause in the third by crushing a solo home run. An RBI groundout off the bat of Quinn Marnocha pushed the Jackrabbit lead to 4-0 following the top of the fourth.

The Coyotes got a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, but a 6-3 double play turned by SDSU's Emma Vike eventually led to a 1-2-3 inning for Barnard. She'd give up a pair of singles in the fifth and sixth innings, but SDSU never allowed South Dakota to threaten to score.

The Jackrabbits put the finishing touches on a run-rule victory in the sixth. The inning saw SDSU produce five runs on four hits and an error. Abby Gentry hit a solo home run to get the scoring started in the frame. Emma Vike and Bria Riebel recorded back-to-back RBI singles to push the score to 7-0. A fielding error allowed Vike and Riebel to come around and score to end the scoring at 9-0.

South Dakota State registered eight hits in the game. Emma Christensen went a team-best 3-for-3 at the plate and scored three times. Vike had a second consecutive multi-hit day. Gentry scored three runs.

Barnard improved to 4-3 on the season pitching. She gave up just three hits on the day. Barnard struck out two batters and walked only one.

NOTES

South Dakota State improved to 17-19 overall on the season. The Jacks are now 2-0 to begin Summit League action.
SDSU has now won seven straight games in Vermillion against South Dakota. The Jackrabbits' last loss at Nygaard Field came in 2022.
The Jackrabbits have clinched a point in the series for South Dakota State in the Interstate Series, presented by First Interstate Bank.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State closes out the three-game series at South Dakota on Sunday The Jackrabbits and Coyotes are scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch at Nygaard Field.

-GoJacks.com-