Softball Falls Twice in Florida

Friday, February 13

Clermont, Fla.

10:00 AM

South Dakota State University

Kansas City

2/13/2015 9:45:00 PM | Softball

By: SDSU Sports Info

CLERMONT, Fla. – The South Dakota State Softball team opened play at the Dot Richardson Invitational on Friday with a pair of losses, falling to Kansas City 7-4 in the opener and 5-2 to Middle Tennessee State in the second game of the day.

The Jackrabbits fall to 2-4 on the season, with the Kangaroos improving to 3-2 and the Blue Raiders to 4-3.

Down 1-0 in the opener, KayCee Miller got the Jacks on the board with her first homer of the season, a solo shot to left that tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Lauren Chirnside drew a bases loaded walk later in the inning to give SDSU a 2-1 lead, and then a Vanessa Kellems RBI single put the Jacks up 3-1.

The score remained 3-1 Jacks until the top of the fifth, when the Kangaroos used a pair of hits and two SDSU miscues to plate five runs and take a 6-3 lead.

Both teams scored a single run in the seventh, the Jacks an unearned run with two outs on a Kellems single to left before the rally, and the game, ended.

The Blue Raiders scored first in the second game of the day, plating a run in the third to take the early 1-0 lead, a run the Jacks would get back in the top of the fourth on an RBI double from Elyse Eitel, but MTSU got that run right back in the fifth to retake the lead at 2-1 after four innings.

Middle Tennessee State added three more runs in the fifth inning to go up 5-1.

A Kellems RBI single in the seventh cut the lead to 5-2, but the Jacks stranded a pair of runners in the final frame to end the game.

Kellems led the Jackrabbits with a 3 for 8 day at the plate and three RBI. Chirnside went 2 for 7 with an RBI, while Eitel and Miller posted the only two extra base hits of the day, Eitel with a double and Miller the homerun.

SDSU looks to get back in the win column on Saturday, with games against UMass Lowell at 12:30 p.m. and against Liberty at 3 p.m.