ORLANDO, Fla. – The South Dakota State softball team’s season came to an end on Sunday afternoon as the Jackrabbits lost to Michigan 4-1 in the Orlando Regional.

SDSU lost to Michigan 2-1 in the first game of the regional on Friday. The Jacks then played Villanova in an elimination game that started on Saturday afternoon and ended Sunday morning. SDSU beat Villanova 5-4 in nine innings to avoid elimination before losing to the Wolverines again.

The Jacks finished the season with a 41-13 overall record. It was the second-straight season that SDSU won the Summit League Tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament. It was also the second-straight season that the Jacks were able to pick up a victory in the tournament.

Sunday

Elimination Game

• Michigan 4, SDSU 1

Kristina Burkhardt’s three-run home run in the second inning proved to be the game’s most important play as it lifted the Wolverines over the Jackrabbits.

Burkhardt walked to begin the game and advanced to second on a Audrey LeClair bunt. Lexie Blair then flew out to right field and a throwing error from Emma Osmundson sent Burkhardt home for the game’s first run. 

The Jacks went down one-two-three in the bottom of the inning and it was 1-0 Michigan through one inning.

Melina Livingston singled to open the second and then advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Ellie Sieler. Ella McVey then walked with two outs before Burkhardt hit the three-run bomb to left field to make it 4-0.

SDSU would get its first hit of the game in the fourth when Rozelyn Carrillo singled to left center. Peyton Daugherty walked to lead off the inning, so the Jacks had runners on first and second with nobody out. Unfortunately SDSU’s next three batters would go down in order and the score remained 4-0.

Michigan would load the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth, but SDSU’s Tori Kniesche was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout.

Neither team would get anything going until Cylie Halvorson led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run. It was her team-leading 19th home run of the season and it was 4-1. Alison Yoder was hit by a pitch with two outs, but Lindsey Culver struck out swinging to end the game and the Jacks’ season.

Alex Storako got the win for the Wolverines after pitching a complete game. She gave up one earned run on two hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk. Grace Glanzer got the start for SDSU and pitched the first four innings. She gave up four runs, three earned, on four hits with one strikeout and three walks. Kniesche pitched the final three innings and gave up no runs on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.

Halvorson was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Carrillo was 1-for-3 as well. No other Jackrabbit got a hit.

Elimination Game

• SDSU 5, Villanova 4 (9 Inn.)

Kelsey Lenox hit Rozelyn Carrillo home with a double off the left center wall and the Jacks beat the Wildcats in nine innings.

The game started at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams played three and a half innings before lightning delayed the game. SDSU and Villanova would return to the field three and a half hours later and would play an inning and a half before another delay, and this time the NCAA decided to push back the game to Sunday morning.

The teams then took the field at 9 a.m. on Sunday with one runner on for Villanova in the top of the sixth. Villanova scored in the first inning on a wild pitch and the Jacks then tied the game bottom of the second on an RBI single from Daugherty.

The Wildcats had runners on second and third with two outs and Kniesche was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout. Lenox hit a lead-off single for SDSU in the bottom of sixth, but weren’t able to do anything with.

Villanova was able to break the tie in the top of the seventh. The Wildcats had runners on first and second with nobody out when M Kern hit a single up the middle. P Rauch scored on the hit and the throw home got away from the catcher allowing C Smith to score from third. The catcher then tried to throw it to the pitcher at home and the ball went over her head allowing Kern to go all the way around the bases and make it 4-1.

SDSU would then have to score at least three runs to keep its season alive and it did just that. Yoder and Daaugherty began the rally with back-to-back singles. Osmundson then hit Yoder home with a single down the left field line and Rozelyn Carrillo was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Halvorson walked and Daugherty scored to make it 4-3. Lenox then hit a bloop single to right field and Osmundson scored to tie the game. SDSU had no outs still, but the next three batters went down in order and the game went to extra innings.

Neither team did any damage in the eighth and Villanova went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rozelyn Carrillo led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right field and Lenox walked it off for the Jacks as they avoided elimination.

Grace Glanzer picked up the win for SDSU as she pitched the two extra innings for the Jacks. She shutout the Wildcats and did not give up a hit. Kniesche got the start for SDSU and pitched seven innings, giving up four runs, two earned, on three hits with eight walks and 14 strikeouts.

Lenox was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Daugherty was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Halvorson and Osmundson were each 1-for-4 with an RBI. Yoder and Rozelyn Carrillo were each 2-for-4.

Friday

• Michigan 2, SDSU 1

It was a bit of a pitcher’s duel as the team’s combined for nine hits. 

Michigan broke the 0-0 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning. Widra was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and McVey followed with a single. Those two would then advance to second and third on a fielder’s choice and would then score on a Blair single down the left field line to make it 2-0.

SDSU would answer in the top of the sixth as Halvorson blasted one over the center field wall to make it 2-1. The Jacks had runners on first and second in the bottom of the seventh, but Osmundson struck out looking to end the game.

Storako pitched six and two thirds innings for Michigan and gave up the one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Glanzer pitched a complete game for SDSU and gave up two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

Halvorson and Rozelyn Carrillo were each 1-for-3. Cheyanne Masterson had the other SDSU hit as she was 1-for-2.