UNI spoils Jacks home opener

Wednesday, April 6

Jackrabbit SB Stadium

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Northern Iowa

4/6/2011 7:43:00 PM | Softball

By: SDSU Sports Info

The South Dakota State softball team opened its home schedule on Wednesday against Northern Iowa in a doubleheader at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium, but the Panthers spoiled the Jackrabbits day with a 10-1 win in the opener, before completing the sweep with a 7-6 win in the nightcap.

UNI improves to 22-15 with the sweep, while the Jacks fall to 7-24 heading into a crucial Summit League series with Southern Utah this weekend in Brookings.

SDSU struck first in the first inning of Game 1, when Krista Honken drew a bases loaded walk that scored Devon Reick to put the Jacks up 1-0.

The Panthers bounced right back with two runs in the top of the second, and then added one in the fourth before putting the game out of reach with a seven run fifth.

The Panthers pounced early in Game 2, capitalizing on a walk and a hit batter to scored a pair of runs on one hit in the first inning to take the early 2-0 lead.

After holding UNI scoreless in the second and third, the Jacks bounced back in their half of the third with four runs on three hits and utilizing three Panther walks. Allison Huffman did most of the damage with a three-run double to the gap in right center that put SDSU on top 4-2.

That lead didn't last though, as Livi Abney smacked her second homerun of the day in the top of the fourth, a two-run shot to right field that tied the game at 4-4.

UNI went on to score one in the fifth on a sacrifice fly and two in the sixth to go up 7-4 before the Jacks mounted one last rally in the bottom of the sixth.

After getting her first-career hit in the third inning, SDSU freshman Sammy Bingham knocked in the first run of her career in the sixth, when she singled home Devon Reick to get the Jacks within two at 7-5. Two batters later, Honken drew her second bases loaded walk of the day to score Bingham to make the score 7-6, but that marked the end of the rally, and the Jacks went down in order in the seventh.

Bingham finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, Huffman went 1-for-3, but made the most of the one hit with three RBI.

Pam Nicholson went the distance for SDSU, giving up seven runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

The Jacks look to get back on the winning track on Friday, when they host Summit League front-runner Southern Utah in a doubleheader at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium that starts at 2 p.m.