Jacks run-rule WIU in series finale

Sunday, April 29

Macomb, Ill.

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

31-13, 0

Western Illinois

17-27, 0

South Dakota State

Western Illinois

SIOUX FALLS, SD: xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Eggen/Inertia)

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

4/29/2018 1:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. – South Dakota State softball claimed its weekend series at Western Illinois with a 13-3 run-rule victory in six innings Sunday afternoon.

The Jackrabbits (31-13, 10-4 Summit League) have maintained their best start in program history and have secured their best league winning percentage in program history.

Madison Hope got the start but left in the first after WIU scored three runs (two earned) before Taylor Compton entered in relief. Compton (8-6) threw the final 5.2 innings in shutout fashion for the win, scattering three hits and four walks with four strikeouts.

Ali Herdliska went 3-for-4 on the day with two home runs while Megan Rushing was 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in.

Abbey Murphy (two RBIs), Julia Andersen (two doubles) and Brittney Morse had two-hit days for the Jacks.

A trio of one-out hits helped State take a 1-0 lead in the first, as Andersen doubled, took third on a Herdliska single and came home as Morse took a 1-0 pitch through the left side.

WIU answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning before the Jacks got one back in the top of the second to make it a 3-2 game. Rushing started the inning with a single, and after moving to third as Yanney Ponce reached on an error Murphy singled on the first pitch of her at-bat for the RBI.

SDSU regained the lead with a six-run fourth inning and put the game out of reach with another five runs in the sixth.

Janssen (error), Rushing (single) and Ponce (fielder's choice) reached safely to load the bases with no outs in the fourth before Murphy slipped a 3-2 pitch into right field for her second RBI of the day to tie it, 3-3. From there, Andersen emptied the bases with a double to left center, and after a throw from the catcher trying to catch Andersen at third went errant the fifth run of the frame came home as SDSU went ahead 7-3. In the next at-bat, Herdliska launched her ninth home run of the season over the right-center wall as the Jacks went ahead five.

The sixth inning began with Herdliska's second home run of the game, and Morse singled to keep the offense going before Dana Chavez walked and Lyndsey Crist loaded the bases by reaching on a Leatherneck error. Paige Gerdes hit a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat for the 10th run of the day before Rushing launched a three-run blast to left field to make it 13-3 in SDSU's favor.

Looking at their second run-rule victory in as many days, the Jackrabbits saw Western Illinois load the bases in the bottom of the sixth with two outs but got out of the jam and induced a fly ball to end it.

Up Next
South Dakota State will host North Dakota for a Senior Day doubleheader Tuesday at 3 p.m.

-GoJacks.com-

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W, 8-2

May 1 (Tue)

3 p.m.

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Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Compton, Taylor (8-6)

L: Stulga (0-2)

South Dakota State

Batting:

2B: Andersen, Julia 2 ; Rushing, Megan 1

HR: Herdliska, Ali 2 ; Rushing, Megan 1

RBI: Murphy, Abbey 2 ; Herdliska, Ali 2 ; Morse, Brittney 1 ; Gerdes, Paige 1 ; Rushing, Megan 3

SF: Gerdes, Paige 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Murphy, Abbey 1 ; Andersen, Julia 2 ; Herdliska, Ali 2 ; Steffo, Danielle 1 ; Chavez, Dana 1 ; Crist, Lyndsey 1 ; Janssen, Baily 1 ; Rushing, Megan 3 ; Ponce, Yanney 1