AMES, Iowa – Purdue defeated South Dakota State 4-1 in a National Invitational Softball Championship Ames Regional elimination game Saturday at the Cyclone Sports Complex.

The Jackrabbits finished the season with a 37-19 record, matching the Division I-era school record for wins in a season.

Sydney Bates threw five scoreless innings to begin the game. 

Mallory Baker, who went 2-for-4, opened the scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the third. Jenny Behan added an RBI single and the Boilermakers also pushed across an unearned run to move ahead 3-0.

The Jackrabbits got going against Purdue reliever Maddie Damon in the top of the sixth, as Alli Herdliska walked with one out and Yanney Ponce singled with two away.

Bates re-entered after that and issued a walk to Megan Rushing to load the bases; however, she struck out Lyndsey Crist to get out of the jam.

Baker’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth pushed the margin to 4-0.

SDSU rallied in the seventh.

Baily Jannsen drew a base on balls to get it going. Peyton Daugherty and Julia Andersen singled with one out to load the bases and chase Bates.

Purdue’s Kaitlynn Moody took over in the circle and came up with a huge strikeout versus Herdliska, who a day earlier tied the Summit League record for career home runs.

Mallory McQuistan singled through the left side to plate Janssen and get the Jackrabbits on the board.

Ponce struck out to end the game.

Bates earned the win. She allowed one run on three hits with nine strikeouts and four walks in 5 2/3 innings overall. Moody was credited with the save.

Boilermaker leadoff hitter Rachel Becker was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Kendra Conard (19-6) took the loss after giving up three runs – two earned – on four hits and two walks with one strikeout in 2 1/3 innings.

Brookings native Emma Hardin, a freshman, tossed the final 3 2/3, surrendering one run on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

McQuistan went 2-for-4. Herdliska walked twice.

McQuistan, Herdliska and Andersen were named to the NISC Ames Regional All-Tournament Team.

Notes: SDSU dropped to 4-4 in two NISC appearances. It went 3-2 while advancing to the Greeley Regional final last season. … The Jackrabbits went 37-18 overall in 2018.

PURDUE 4, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 1

SDSU    000 000 1  –  1  5  1

Purdue 003 001 x  –  4  9  1

Kendra Conard, Emma Hardin (3) and Mallory McQuistan; Sydney Bates, Maddie Damon (6), Bates (6), Kaitlynn Moody (7) and Kaeley Hallada, Rachel Krzysko (7). W – Bates (13-9). L – Conard (19-6). Sv – Moody (5). 2B: PU, Mallory Baker, Halle Hixenbaugh.

Other games

Iowa State (35-23) defeated Purdue (34-29) by a 5-3 margin in the title game Saturday evening. The host Cyclones went 3-0 in the event and now advance to the finals in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Boilermakers beat Eastern Kentucky 3-1 in an elimination game Saturday morning.

Ali Herdliska

The Solon, Iowa, native finished as SDSU’s all-time leader in home runs (48), RBIs (168), runs (144), walks (125), total bases (404), slugging percentage (.633) and on-base percentage (.445).

Her home run total, which also tied the Summit League record, was 13 higher than the next nearest Jackrabbit. She had 37 more RBIs than second place.

Additionally, she finished second in doubles (38) and games started (220), third in games played (221), tied for third in sacrifice flies (7), fourth in hits (210) and at-bats (638), fifth in times hit by pitch (14) and sixth in batting average (.329). Teammate Julia Andersen holds the doubles record with 44.

Herdliska is the school recordholder in putouts (1,547) and ranks fifth in fielding percentage (.985).

G Avg. HR RBI R BB Slg. OBP

2016 56 .322 *16 45 38 34 *.725 .461

2017 54 .338 6 36 26 18 .588 .413

2018 55 .320 10 41 45 28 .533 .421

2019 56 .338 *16 46 35 *45 .700 .483

Total 221 .329 48 168 144 125 .633 .445

   *single-season SDSU record