Back home, Jacks split doubleheader

Saturday, April 15

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

14-28, 1-6

Fort Wayne (Strike Out Cancer)

9-29, 2-5

Fort Wayne

South Dakota State

Photo by: Jeff Kellum

4/15/2017 7:34:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Playing at home for the first time in 2017, South Dakota State Softball split its Saturday doubleheader with Fort Wayne. SDSU (15-29) dropped game one, 12-8, before a 3-1 victory in the day's finale.

The opener was a back and forth affair as the teams combined for 20 runs. Ali Herdliska went 2 for 2 with a trio of walks while Julia Andersen had three RBIs and a double. Danielle Steffo and Yanney Ponce also drove in runs for the Jacks.

Madison Hope (0-5) started and threw five total innings. Hope allowed nine runs and struck out one in the loss, leaving the game in the third for reliever Ashlyn Bender. Bender tossed the next two-plus frames, allowing three runs on four hits before leaving in the fifth as Hope re-entered to finish the game.

Down 2-0 after the first, Statestruck back with four runs to take its first lead of the day in the bottom of the second. With one out, Mallory McQuistan doubled to center before Baily Janssen walked. With two gone in the inning, Ponce took a 3-1 pitch back up the middle to score McQuistan, and after Alexis Ray walked to load the bases, Andersen stroked a 0-1 pitch into the gap to empty the bases.

That advantage was short-lived, however, as Fort Wayne answered with a five-spot in the top of the third to take back the lead, 7-4.

South Dakota State made it a two-run game (7-5) after Danielle Steffo's sacrifice fly in the third, plating Murphy who earlier reached on an error.

Three more Jackrabbit runs in the fourth put the home team in front, 8-7.

Ray started the inning with a full-count walk and moved to second on Andersen's sacrifice bunt. From there, Herdliska singled to give State runners on the corners and Morse reached on a fielder's choice before Murphy reached safely on a Mastodon error, allowing Ray to score from third. In the next at-bat, a fielding error by FW's shortstop helped Murphy and Morse scamper home.

Fort Wayne, however, scored the final five runs of the game to pull out the win.

Game two saw the Jacks take advantage of key situations as Bender (7-10) started in the cirlce and dealt six total scoreless frames, allowing only one run with four strikeouts.

Murphy was 3 for 3 in the game with a two-run home run. Herdliska added her 15th double of the season as one of five other Jackrabbits to add a hit in the game.

Scoreless through one and a half innings, heads-up baserunning helped the Jacks take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. With one out, Murphy singled before moving to third when Ponce took a 2-2 pitch on a line into right center. From there, a delayed steal saw Ponce try for second, and as the throw went to the bag Murphy took off and beat the follow up tag at the plate.

That score held until the top of the sixth, when the Mastodons tied it on a two-out RBI single into center.

Even at 1-all, Murphy broke the tie with a swing of her bat in the bottom of the sixth. Steffo started the inning with an infield single, moving to second on McQuistan's sacrifice bunt. With one gone, Murphy stepped to the plate and ripped a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall.

Bender and the Jackrabbit defense worked around a pair of seventh inning singles for the Mastodons to finish off the win.

Game Notes