SDSU, NDSU reach Summit League final; Abbey Murphy hits historic home run

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FARGO, N.D. – Jacquelyn Sertic tossed a no-hitter and struck out a tournament-record-tying 15 batters as top-seeded North Dakota State advanced to the Summit League Softball Championship title game for the 10th year in a row with a 4-0 victory over second-seeded South Dakota State on Friday at Ellig Sports Complex.

Later Thursday, the Jackrabbits got a historic seventh-inning home run from Abbey Murphy and rallied to beat Omaha 4-3 in an elimination game to advance to the final for the first time in school history.

The Bison (32-17) and Jackrabbits (34-15) square off at 1 p.m. today. Should SDSU win, a second title game would be played at 3:30 p.m.

• North Dakota State 4, South Dakota State 0

It marked the rst seven-inning no-hitter of Jacquelyn Sertic’s career as she threw her 12th shutout of the season, including her second in as many days. The senior and Summit League Pitcher of the Year lowered her season ERA to 1.63. With 15 strikeouts against the Jackrabbits, she now has 291 strikeouts in 209 1/3 innings on the year.

Sertic (24-9) issued four walks.

The Bison put up three runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Vanessa Anderson drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Tabby Heinz’s sacrifice. Stephanie Soriano walked and Montana DeCamp reached on a bunt single to load the bases.

Julia Luciano hit a ground ball to SDSU’s Yanney Ponce, and the shortstop’s throw home was high. The error allowed Anderson to score.

Pinch-hitter Dani Renner followed with an RBI single and Zoe Stavrou then drew a base on balls to force in DeCamp to make it 3-0.

Madyson Camacho hit a grounder to third base, and Megan Rushing threw Luciano out at home. Jackrabbit starter Madison Hope then got Bre Beatty to ground out to short to avoid further damage, as the Bison left the bases load.

Sertic struck out seven her first time through the order.

Her eighth strikeout actually led to SDSU’s first baserunner as Julia Andersen reached with one out in the fourth on a wild pitch.

Brittney Morse and Lyndsey Crist drew two-out walks to load the bases; however, Erin Mullen flew out to the warning track in center after that.

The Jackrabbits only had two other baserunners as Murphy drew a walk to lead off the sixth and pinch-hitter Paige Gerdes walked with two away in the seventh.

Heinz sent a 3-2 pitch over the fence in left-center field to open the bottom of the sixth to put the Bison ahead 4-0.

Madison Hope (20-7) gave up three runs – two earned – on three hits and ve walks with three strikeouts in five innings of action. Taylor Compton allowed one run on two hits and a walk in one inning.

Notes: North Dakota State has won 10 of its past 11 games versus Summit League opponents – all shutouts. The Bison, who have seven regular-season titles, have won eight of the previous nine postseason tourneys, including four consecutively. They are trying to become the first team in league history to win five tournament titles in a row.

• South Dakota State 4, Omaha 3

Abbey Murphy blasted a three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead, and the Jackrabbits closed the door in the bottom of the inning to secure the come-from-behind victory and advance to the title game for the first time.

Pinch-hitter Paige Gerdes hit a blooper up the right-field line and hustled for a double to lead off the seventh. Pinch-hitter Erin Mullen followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners.

Murphy’s only hit of the day – and second in three tournament games – was a clutch one as she sent the ball over the fence in right-center field to give SDSU its only lead of the afternoon.

Madison Hope worked around Jessica Nelson’s one-out single in the bottom of the seventh, striking out Emily Klosterman and Crystal Pablo to seal the deal.

Hope (21-7) kept the Jackrabbits in it throughout, giving up three runs on 12 hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. She is one win shy of tying Melissa Pater’s single-season school record of 22 set in 1996.

Ali Herdliska finished 2-for-4.

Julia Anderson doubled to tie the SDSU single-season record of 19 set by Elyse Eitel in 2015. Dana Chavez also tallied a double.

Omaha’s Emma Dargy, who went 2-for-4, opened the bottom of the second with a single and moved to second on Jessica Nelson’s sacrifice. Crystal Pablo’s two-out single put the Mavericks up 1-0.

Julia Andersen doubled with one out in the third and scored on Herdliska’s single to knot the score at 1-all.

UNO’s Emily Klosterman homered in the fourth frame. She later doubled to open the sixth and scored on Natalie Mostek’s two-out hit.

Kelly Pattison was 2-for-2.

Maverick pitcher Laura Roecker (2-8) took the loss after giving up four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks in 6 1/3 innings. Aubrey Hacke recorded the final two outs.

Omaha finished the year 20- 31.

Notes: SDSU entered the day leading NCAA Division I softball with 6.94 runs per game, and now sits in third with a 6.73 average (330 in 49 games). ... The Jackrabbits are 3-9 in six tournament appear- ances – 0-2 in 2010 and 2014, 1-2 in 2015, 0-1 in 2016 and 2017, and 2-1 in 2018.