College softball: Jackrabbits earn double-header split at Baylor

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WACO, Texas – The South Dakota State softball team earned its first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent in its program history as the Jackrabbits picked up a split on Wednesday, March 15, in their doubleheader at No. 20 Baylor. SDSU claimed a 5-2 win in the opening game against the Bears while the hosts closed out the two-game set at Getterman Stadium by a 3-0 score over the Jacks.

GAME 1

The Jackrabbit lineup scored the game’s first run just three batters into the contest versus Baylor.

Mia Jarecki led the game off with a double to right-center field then Emma Osmundson followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Rozelyn Carrillo came up and hit a sacrifice fly to push the Jackrabbits ahead 1-0 in the top of the first.

SDSU starting pitcher Tori Kniesche got into a jam in the bottom half of the frame. After a hit by pitch and two walks, the Bears had the bases loaded with two outs. Kniesche worked her way out of the threat with a strikeout and settled in over the next couple innings.

The Jacks scored four runs in the third. Jarecki and Osmundson walks, along with a Carrillo single, loaded the bases. SDSU’s Alexa Williams and Alli Boyle completed back-to-back walks and recorded RBIs to extend the lead to 3-0. A sacrifice fly by Allison Yoder made it 4-0, then a bases-loaded walk by Jocelyn Carrillo gave the Jackrabbits a 5-0 edge.

SDSU nearly added to its margin in the fourth. Osmundson and Rozelyn Carrillo each hit singles but were stranded on the corners to end the frame. The Jackrabbits got runners to second and third following walks in the sixth, but were unable to score in the inning. SDSU’s batters in the top three spots of its lineup recorded four of its six hits in the game.

Baylor’s first hit of the day didn’t come until the fifth inning, however the Bears finally got to Kniesche in the sixth. The Bears began the inning with a single and double. A walk given up and hit by pitch got Baylor on the board.

Following a flyout, an RBI single came alongside an out as Lindsey Culver from left field threw to third base to cut a runner off the base paths as they tried to advance with the bases loaded. That put the second out on the board and the next at-bat Kniesche forced a groundout to get out of the sixth with SDSU holding on to a 5-2 margin.

The bottom of the seventh featured a lead-off walk for the Bears. The next hitter saw Jarecki snag a line drive from her second-base position and complete a 4-3 double play to put a quick two outs on the board. A popout caught by Rozelyn Carrillo ended the ballgame for a South Dakota State victory.

The win for the Jackrabbits was the first over a team ranked in the top 25 of a national poll. SDSU hadn’t won in its previous 20 matchups versus a top-25 foe.

GAME 2

Baylor starter Dariana Orme allowed just two South Dakota State hits and the Bears’ lineup produced enough in a 3-0 win over the Jackrabbits to earn a split in the doubleheader.

Orme took the loss in the opening game after giving up three runs in two innings in the circle. She responded in the second contest with a stellar effort. Orme threw a complete-game shutout and struck out nine Jackrabbits while walking four batters.

The Bears got out to a lead off SDSU starter Shannon Lasey in the first. Baylor got runners on behind two walks then an RBI single made it 1-0. The Bears added a run again in the bottom of the third by taking advantage of a two-out error in the SDSU infield. They would load the bases and use an RBI single to extend the advantage to 2-0.

SDSU’s Jarecki led the game off again with a single, but the Jackrabbits wouldn’t pick up their second and final hit of the game until the fifth off the bat of Culver. An Alexa Williams walk in the fifth and a wild pitch added in put runners on second and third for the Jacks. Jarecki was intentionally walked to provide SDSU’s best opportunity in the nightcap. However, Orme struck Osmundson out in the next at-bat and the Jacks wouldn’t threaten again.

The Bears recorded a solo home run in the fifth to put the game out of reach at 3-0.

UP NEXT

South Dakota State heads back to Kansas to play in a recently altered schedule at the Shocker Invitational which begins Friday. The Jackrabbits will play at 11 a.m. Friday versus Northern Colorado then face Minnesota at 1:15 p.m. SDSU is then scheduled to close out the tournament on Saturday with two games. The Jackrabbits are slated to take on host Wichita State at 2:30 p.m. followed by a 4:45 p.m. contest against Northern Colorado.