JACKS & MAVS SPLIT SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER

Saturday, April 26

Brookings, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Omaha (DH)

Tayler Baker

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/26/2025 6:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State and Omaha split Summit League doubleheader action at Jerald T. Moriarty Field on Saturday, April 26, as the Mavericks closed out the three-game series by winning two of the meetings. The Jackrabbits won the opener, 7-6, before the Mavs claimed a 9-8 victory to cap the doubleheader and series.

Game One
Abby Gentry hit a three-run home run and Tayler Baker pitched her first seven-inning complete game to lead South Dakota State to a 7-6 win.

After a scoreless pair of innings, SDSU got on the board in the bottom of the third.

A one-out single by Emma Vike and Brooke Dumont walk set up third baseman Abby Gentry. She came up to the plate and crushed a three-run home run over the left-field fence.

Omaha produced four hits in the fourth, which included two home runs, to take a brief 4-3 lead. SDSU immediately responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Four straight singles by Alivya Bollen, Mia Jarecki, Vike and Dumont saw the Jacks tie the score. A bases-loaded walk drawn by Gentry, RBI fielder's choice by Alli Boyle and Madi Conklin sacrifice fly put the Jacks in front, 7-4.

Baker pitched a scoreless fifth inning before giving up two unearned runs in the sixth. The Mavericks recorded a single in the seventh, but Baker worked around the runner to close out a win for State.

The complete-game performance for Baker was the first of her collegiate career. She hadn't pitched beyond five innings in 26 previous appearances. Baker improved to 7-5 on the season as she allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and six walks to go along with five strikeouts.

Gentry had a team-high four RBIs. Vike was the lone Jackrabbit with two hits.

Game Two
Omaha got out to a 9-0 lead and withstood a furious SDSU rally to eventually earn a 9-8 win.

The Mavs scored five runs in the third to buoy Omaha out to a 9-0 edge through 4 ½ innings. Omaha starting pitcher, Maddia Groff, gave up two hits in four innings of work before the Mavs made a move to the bullpen.

South Dakota State took advantage of the opportunity. Singles by Caitlyn Wells and Vike set up Dumont who smashed a three-run home run to left-center field to extend the game and cut the score to 9-3.

Following a scoreless sixth pitched by Jackrabbit reliever Madi Mangulis, SDSU scored another three runs in the bottom of the frame. A hit by pitch and two consecutive walks led to the Jacks scoring a run on a wild pitch. Wells then hit a two-run double to make it a 9-6 ballgame before the Mavs got two straight outs to get out of the jam.

The seventh inning saw another scoreless frame pitched by Mangulis. It set the Jackrabbits up for a near improbable comeback.

Dumont drew a walk to begin the frame and force Omaha's Groff back into the circle. Gentry then followed with a double to put two runners on base and Boyle hit an RBI single to cut the score to 9-7. A Conklin walk gave SDSU the bases loaded with no outs.

After a Christensen line-out, a Barnard sacrifice fly made it a 9-8 ballgame with two runners still on base. Wells came back to the plate to try to tie or win the game. Her eventual fly out was narrowly caught in center field to end the game.

Gentry and Wells each finished with two hits. Dumont had a team-high three RBIs. Mangulis had SDSU's strongest showing in the circle as she threw three innings and gave up two runs on five hits.

SDSU is now 25-24 overall and 10-5 in Summit League play. Omaha is now 35-10 overall and clinched the No. 1 seed in The Summit League Softball Championship with its 14-4 conference record.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits close out their regular season on the road next weekend. SDSU travels to Grand Forks, N.D., to face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks for a three-game series from May 2-3.

-GoJacks.com-