CULVER SPARKS JACKS TO ANOTHER SWEEP

Friday, April 2

Macomb, Ill.

noon

South Dakota State University

20-4, 0

Western Illinois

11-16, 0

South Dakota State

Western Illinois

Photo by: Courtesy Photo

4/2/2021 6:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

MACOMB, Ill. – South Dakota State second baseman Lindsey Culver hit two home runs in both games of a doubleheader to lead a Jackrabbit offensive barrage in a sweep of Western Illinois Friday afternoon at Mary Ellen McKee Stadium.

The Jackrabbits combined to tie a Division I-era school record with five home runs in a 12-3 victory in the opener. SDSU added three long balls and freshman pitcher Tori Kniesche fired a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts as the Jackrabbits claimed Game 2, 7-0, to improve to 21-4 overall and 6-0 in Summit League play.

SDSU extended its winning streak to eight games with the sweep.

GAME 1: SDSU 12, WESTERN ILLINOIS 3 (5 inn.)
The Jackrabbits spotted Western Illinois an early 3-0 lead before scoring the final 12 runs of the game to win in five innings. Savannah Rodriguez provided the offense for the Leathernecks with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.

SDSU stormed back with a five-run top of the second. Jocelyn Carrillo cut the deficit to 3-2 with a two-run double that scored Culver and Allison Yoder and Peyton Daugherty plated Carrillo with a single up the middle. Freshman outfielder Emma Osmundson then stepped to the plate and gave the Jackrabbits with a two-run, opposite-field home run to left. It was the first collegiate home run for the Sioux Falls native, who was 3-for-3 and finished a double away from the cycle.

The Jackrabbits tacked on six more runs in the third inning, hitting three home runs against two different WIU pitchers. Culver and Allison Beaudry hit back-to-back home runs with one out in the inning and Cylie Halvorson added a three-run blast for her team-leading ninth homer of the season. The other run of the inning scored on Daugherty's second hit of the game.

That was more than enough offense in support of Jackrabbit pitcher Grace Glanzer, who allowed only one hit after the first inning. She struck out four, walked two and surrendered four hits in improving to 9-2 on the season.

A returning freshman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Culver capped the scoring with an inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning.

SDSU finished the game with 13 hits, eight of which went for extra bases – five home runs, two triples and a double.

GAME 2: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 7, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0
Culver continued her hot hitting with a double, two more home runs and three runs batted in for a Jackrabbit squad that racked up 12 total hits, including seven more for extra bases.

Culver opened the scoring with a two-run homer that kicked off a four-run second inning. Halvorson plated the other two runs of the frame with a single.

Kelsey Lenox sparked a two-run fifth inning with a solo homer, which was followed by back-to-back doubles by Culver and Jocelyn Carrillo. Culver again capped the scoring with a solo homer to right-center field leading off the seventh, upping her season home run total to six.

Osmundson, Halvorson and Jocelyn Carrillo each tallied two hits in the nitecap.

In the circle, Kniesche struck out at least one batter in every inning except the sixth as she notched her 10^th victory and first collegiate shutout. The lone hits she allowed were singles by Abrianna Gracia and Rodriguez in the fourth inning.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits and Leathernecks close out the four-game series with another doubleheader Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.

NOTES

Western Illinois leads the all-time series, 25-14
SDSU's first hit five home runs in a game in the opener of a doubleheader at Dakota Wesleyan on March 26, 2015
Culver owns each of SDSU's last three two-home run games, first accomplishing the feat March 8, 2020, in a game against Merrimack played in Madeira Beach, Florida
The Jackrabbits have hit 32 home runs in their 25 games, with 11 different players hitting at least one
Osmundson recorded her ninth and 10^th multi-hit games of the season and has reached base safely in 11 consecutive games
Osmundson went 5-for-6 in the doubleheader to raise her season batting average to .517 (31-for-60)
Daugherty tallied her team-leading 12^th multi-hit game in the opener
Daugherty improved to 13-of-14 in stolen-base attempts this season
The Jackrabbits tied a season high with three stolen bases in Game 1
Halvorson recorded her team-best eighth and ninth multi-RBI games
SDSU has recorded double figures in hits 11 times this season, including seven times in their current eight-game winning streak