JACKRABBITS SPLIT OPENING DAY IN TEXAS

Friday, February 6

Commerce, Texas

9 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Texas Southern

A woman playing softball slides at home plate with her arm extended

Emma Vike

Photo by: Mario Terrana

2/6/2026 5:30:00 PM | Softball

By: Andrew Pedersen

COMMERCE, Texas – South Dakota State softball earned a victory in its opening game of the season, then dropped a one-run contest, to close out its first day of the 2026 season at Cain Family Field. The Jackrabbits defeated Texas Southern by a 4-1 score, then lost to Stephen F. Austin 7-6, on the campus of East Texas A&M.

Game One
SDSU got off to a strong start by picking up a 4-1 victory over Texas Southern on Friday morning.

Starting pitcher Madi Mangulis had a strong outing for the Jackrabbits. She allowed just two hits across her first five innings pitched to keep it a scoreless ballgame.

South Dakota State capitalized in the fifth inning. Akayla Barnard led the frame off with a solo home run. Following a one-out triple by Emma Vike, Alivya Bollen hit an RBI single to make it 2-0. Mia Buske smacked an RBI single to drive in pinch runner Keira Carrillo to give SDSU a 3-0 edge through five innings.

Mangulis ran into trouble in the sixth. After opening the inning with a ground out, Texas Southern got three consecutive hitters on base. The Tigers got one runner to cross home on an RBI single and still had the bases loaded trailing 3-1. Mangulis struck out two consecutive hitters to escape the threat.

Vike added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth by crushing a solo home run. Mangulis allowed two runners to reach base in the seventh, but got out of the jam with two straight outs to close out a complete-game performance.

The Jackrabbits earned the 4-1 win despite leaving 10 runners on base.

Vike and Barnard had two hits apiece for SDSU. Mangulis threw all seven innings and allowed one earned run on five hits and three walks, while she struck out eight batters.

Game Two
The Jackrabbits held control of the game through 5 1/2 innings, but a six-run sixth inning led Stephen F. Austin to a 7-6 victory over SDSU.

South Dakota State recorded five runs on five hits in the opening two innings to jump out to a 5-0 advantage over SFA. Ella Berlage hit a two-run double in the first and Bollen repeated the feat in the second frame to highlight SDSU at the plate early.

Jackrabbit starting pitcher Akayla Barnard kept the Lumberjacks off the board in her first four innings pitched. In that stretch, she allowed five hits but worked avoided any damage.

SDSU added to its tally in the fourth to make it 6-0 behind a Bollen RBI single.

Barnard allowed another two hits in the fifth, including the first run of the meeting to Stephen F. Austin, to make it 6-1 heading to the sixth. Barnard's day came to a close in the circle allowing one earned run across five innings. She allowed seven hits and walked one while striking out three.

A quiet top of the sixth for the Jackrabbits led to an explosion at the plate for Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks recorded five hits and took advantage of an infield error en route to going ahead, 7-6.

Berlage picked up a single in the seventh inning for the Jackrabbits, but SDSU wouldn't advance her from there as SFA close out the win.

South Dakota State combined for nine hits. Multiple Jackrabbits had two hits including Emma Christensen, Barnard, Bollen and Berlage. Amanda Vacanti was credited with the loss after replacing Sylvia Shromoff in the circle in the sixth.

NOTES

Mangulis finished off a career-best performance on Friday. Her complete game was the first of her college career.
Multiple Jackrabbits picked up their first collegiate hits in Buske and Berlage.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State continues play at the East Texas A&M Leadoff on Saturday. The Jackrabbits are slated to face Bucknell at 3:45 p.m. and the host Lions at 6 p.m.

-GoJacks.com-