Vikings and Tigers Upend Jacks

Sunday, February 15

Clermont, Fla.

8:00 AM

South Dakota State University

Cleveland State

2/15/2015 10:01:00 PM | Softball

By: SDSU Sports Info

CLERMONT, Fla. – The South Dakota State softball team wrapped up play at the Dot Richardson Invitational on Sunday with a pair of losses, falling to Cleveland State 6-5 in the morning, before dropping a 13-0 contest to No. 18 Missouri in the afternoon.

The Jackrabbits return home with a 4-6 record on the season, while the Vikings improved to 5-3 and the Tigers to 4-1.

The Vikings opened the scoring in the morning game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first. After three and a half scoreless innings, Cleveland State struck again with four runs in the fifth to take a commanding 6-0 lead.

SDSU responded to the four-run fifth with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. KayCee Miller got the Jacks on the board with an RBI single that scored Elyse Eitel. Two batters later, Cassidy Vlot smacked a two RBI double that scored Miller and Christian McKone that cut the Viking lead to 6-3.

The Jacks kept the Vikings off the board in the bottom of the sixth, and Devan Larsen made things interesting in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run to cut the CSU lead to 6-5, but the Jackrabbit rally come up short.

The second game of the day pit the Jacks against No. 18 ranked Missouri, and the Tigers started fast, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, then added three more in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead, more than enough to secure the win.

The Jacks look to get back in the win column on Friday, when they take on Fort Wayne in the first of four games at the Governors Classic, hosted by Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn.