Softball Splits League Opening Doubleheader

Saturday, March 21

Indianapolis, Ind.

11:00 AM

South Dakota State University

IUPUI

3/21/2015 5:13:00 PM | Softball

By: SDSU Sports Info

INDIANAPOLIS – The South Dakota State softball team opened Summit League play on Saturday at IUPUI with a split, winning the first game 7-5, in 8 innings, before falling in the finale 7-1.

The Jackrabbits end the day with a 6-11 overall record, while the Jaguars finish with a 15-7 mark.

Elyse Eitel opened the scoring with a two RBI double in the opener to put the Jacks on top 2-0, but the Jaguars came right back with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-2 lead.

The Jags tacked on two more in the fifth to increase their lead to 5-2, and took that lead into the seventh inning, when Devan Larsen smacked a three-run home run, her fourth longball of the season, that tied the game at 5-5.

Still tied in the eighth, Jessica Markanich got hit by a pitch to open the inning, and made the Jags pay, as she advances to second on a Jordyn Sturgeon groundout and to third on a Dana Chavez single fore scoring two batters later on a wild pitch. Lauren Chirnside singled home Chavez in the next at-bat for an insurance run that put SDSU up 7-5.

Ashlyn Bender went the distance in the circle to even her record at 4-4. She struck out five and walked one in the win.

Eitel got things going in Game 2 as well, knocking in Chirnside with a single in the first to put the Jacks in front 1-0, a lead that would stand until the fourth, when the Jaguars tied the game a 1-1.

IUPUI put the game out of reach in its next at bat, plating five runs in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead into the sixth inning. The Jags would tack on one more in the sixth to complete the 7-1 score.

The teams wrap up the three-game series with the rubber game on Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.