BACK-TO-BACK! Jackrabbits repeat as Summit softball champs & return to NCAA Tournament
SDSU falls in first tournament title game to Omaha before taking winner-take-all game 5-0
VERMILLION, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Severe weather prompted a move of the Summit League Softball Tournament from Brookings to Vermillion.
It did not move South Dakota State off their perch as the top team in the conference, and now they’re heading back to softball’s “Big Dance”.
Though the Omaha Mavericks won the first game of the Summit League Softball Championship 3-0 on Sunday morning in Vermillion, Tori Kniesche struck out a tournament record 16 to earn MVP honors and lead the Jackrabbits to a 5-0 victory in the winner-take-all second game. SDSU repeats as Summit League Tournament champions and returns to the NCAA Tournament.
The first game of the day was a pitching duel dominated by Omaha’s Kamryn Meyer. She allowed just three hits and struck out 10 in a complete game. SDSU’s Grace Glanzer also worked a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out two, yet an error in the fifth led to three unearned runs that were the difference for the Mavericks.
UNO went with Meyer again to start the second, winner-take-all, title game after throwing 110 pitches. She would only last three innings with SDSU finally ending a 15 inning scoreless streak by getting an unearned run on a sacrifice fly from Rozelyn Carrillo in the third inning to go up 1-0.
The Jackrabbits broke things open in the fifth inning with three runs highlighted by two-run homerun from Cylie Halvorson. That happened to be the team’s program record 74th homerun of the season. Emma Osmundson added an RBI infield single in the seventh.
That was more than enough for Kniesche. The sophomore struck out 16 and allowed just one hit and three total baserunners.
SDSU will learn their NCAA Tournament draw tonight during the Selection Show at 6:00 PM on ESPN 2.
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