FARGO, N.D. – No. 6 seed South Dakota State softball saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday at the 2017 Summit League Tournament, falling 12-8 in a walk-off to third-seeded Western Illinois.

SDSU finishes its season at 19-35 after reaching the tournament for the third consecutive season.

Ashlyn Bender (9-13) took the loss, tossing 4.2 total innings with seven runs allowed (six earned) on nine hits. Bender started and threw into the fourth, giving way to Madison Hope who tossed 2.0 in relief and was tagged for five runs on five hits.

Ali Herdliska, Brittney Morse and Mallory McQuistan all went 2 for 4 with doubles and two runs batted in, while McQuistan and Julia Andersen (two RBIs) hit home runs for the Jackrabbits. Yanney Ponce was 2 for 3 and scored two runs.

Scoreless through two, SDSU broke the stalemate with four runs in the third to take the early lead. Yanney Ponce started the inning with a single, and after two outs moved to third when Herdliska doubled down the left field line. Morse followed by roping a double off the right field fence to plate two, and in the next at-bat McQuistan launched a 1-1 pitch over the center field fence.

WIU got one back with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, but that Jacks stretched their lead to five (6-1) with a pair of runs in the fourth. Consecutive singles from Christian McKone and Ponce put two-on with one-out, and after an infield pop-up Andersen walked to load the bases. Herdliska then dropped a single into center field for her second hit of the day, pushing two across.

The Leathernecks again responded with a home run in the bottom of the fourth and manufactured another in the fifth, pulling within three (6-3) before a swing from Julia Andersen's bat in the sixth put State back ahead five, 8-3. With one gone in the frame, Abbey Murphy reached on an infield single before coming home as Andersen lifted a 1-2 pitch over the right field fence for her second home run of the season.

The bottom of the sixth saw Western Illinois put together its first multi-run inning of the day, stringing together three hits, including a triple and two-run home run to crawl within one (8-7).

The Leathernecks tied it with a solo home run to open the bottom of the seventh, and after loading the bases with two outs, walked off with a grand slam.

Game Notes

SDSU's first six runs were all scored with two outs, and every Jackrabbit run came in sets of two.

Ali Herdliska moved into sixth on SDSU's single season RBI list with 36 after driving in a pair.

State is now 1-5 all-time in the Summit League Tourney.

The Jacks' first league tournament victory came against Western Illinois in 2015, when SDSU upset the Leathernecks as a fifth seed.