Softball closes weekend with Sunday split

Sunday, March 17

Kansas City, Mo.

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

20-7

Creighton

9-9

South Dakota State

Creighton

Photo by: Laura Mullen

3/17/2019 4:48:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

KANSAS CITY -- South Dakota State wrapped up its weekend stay at the Urban Youth Academy with another split Sunday, dropping a narrow 1-0 loss to Creighton before bouncing back in the finale, taking down Kansas City in extra innings, 10-8.

The Jackrabbits, now 21-7 overall, went 2-2 at the event and now turn their attention to league play.

Creighton 1, South Dakota State 0
Olivia Douglas (2-1) took the loss in a tightly-contested pitcher's duel. The sophomore threw all six innings, scattering five hits and a walk with one run allowed, striking out one.

Peyton Daugherty logged the Jackrabbits' lone hit of the day, but SDSU worked a pair of walks to set up scoring threats in the sixth and seventh innings. State, however, could not pull off the weekend sweep over the Bluejays.

Scoreless through 5.2 innings, Creighton struck for its only run of the morning contest with back-to-back extra base hits in the bottom of the sixth, then worked around an SDSU runner in scoring position in the seventh to hold off the Jackrabbit rally.

South Dakota State 10, Kansas City 8 (Eight innings)
Kendra Conard started and threw into the third, exiting after allowing four runs (three earned) with a pair of strikeouts. Emma Hardin tossed the next 3.1 innings, giving up four runs with a strikeout. Taylor Compton (5-3) earned the win while finishing the game, not allowing a runner over the final 2.2 innings while logging a strikeout.

Seven Jackrabbits racked up hits in the game, with Baily Janssen turning in a 2-for-4 performance at the plate.

Lyndsey Crist drove in three runs and recorded a triple, while Peyton Daugherty, Julia Andersen, Ali Herdliska and Kerigan Torres added an RBI apiece.

Kansas City built a 3-0 lead through the first two innings, but the Jackrabbits rallied for six in the top of the third to turn the tide and go ahead three.

After a fielder's choice and a Kangaroo error left Janssen and Kerigan Torres on second and first, respectively, with one out, Daugherty poked a single into center to plate the first SDSU run of the day. Andersen and Herdliska kept the offense rolling with back-to-back RBI singles to tie it, and after Megan Rushing drew a two-out walk, Crist emptied the bases with a three-run triple.

The 'Roos got one back in the bottom of the inning, but the Jacks struck for two more in the fourth to build an 8-4 lead. Janssen started the inning with a single, and with one out moved to second as Daugherty reached safely. A fielder's choice during Andersen's at-bat left the Jacks with runners on first and second with two outs, before two wild pitches in the inning allowed both runners to wheel around and score.

That four-run gap held until Kansas City put together a big inning of its own in the sixth, pulling even once again with the Jacks, 8-8. A scoreless seventh frame sent the teams to extra innings, where SDSU capitalized on the international tie-breaker start to score the eventual game-winner and an insurance run.

Crist started the inning on second, moving up to third when Yanney Ponce reached on another Kansas City error. Crist was tagged out on a fielder's choice off of Janssen's ground ball, but heads-up baserunning by Ponce and Janssen on the play left SDSU with two runners in scoring position and one gone. Another ground ball set UMKC up for the second out of the inning, but an error at the plate allowed both Janssen and Ponce to come home.

Ahead two in the bottom of the eighth, the Jacks induced a pop up, caught a Kangaroo stealing third and sealed the win with a Compton strikeout.

Game Notes

Julia Andersen became the school's all-time leader in doubles (37) over the weekend and sits just outside the top 20 in the Summit League's record book.
Ali Herdliska is less than 60 putouts away from passing Kiley Schwedhelm (2005-08) for first in the Jackrabbit career rankings. Herdliska has 1,320 putouts and Schwedhelm finished with 1,379.
South Dakota State has continued its best start at the Division I level, are one-game off the best start-ever, as the 1996 team went 22-6 through its first 28 games. The Jacks reached the 20-win mark on Saturday, marking the earliest they've done it (date-wise) in program history.
Now with 104 walks, Ali Herdliska is tied for third in Summit League history.
Herdliska is now seventh in career hits at South Dakota State (187), closing in on Ashley Durazo (2008-11) and Angie Friberg's (1994-97) record of 214.

Up Next
The Jackrabbit softball team begins Summit League play next weekend on the road, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska. South Dakota State and the Omaha Mavericks will play a three-game series, Saturday and Sunday, at Westside Field at Westbrook. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is noon.

-GoJacks.com-