CONWAY, Ark. – The Jackrabbit softball program swept a pair of games on Day 1 of the UCA Invitational on Sunday to improve to 4-3 on the season. South Dakota State took down Stephen F. Austin, 7-2, in the first game before run-ruling Austin Peay in six innings, 12-4, in the day’s finale.
• South Dakota State 7, Stephen F. Austin 2
The Jackrabbits used a six-run fifth inning to defeat the Ladyjacks, opening the weekend with a 7-2 win.
Julia Andersen and Brittney Morse (one RBI) each went 2-for-3 for SDSU, while Baily Janssen drove in three with an inside-the-park home run and Abbey Murphy had a pair of RBIs.
Mallory McQuistan blasted her third home run of the season in the win.
Madison Hope started and threw into the fifth, exiting after allowing two runs on five hits and a trio of walks. Taylor Compton (1-3) earned her first collegiate win in relief, tossing three shutout frames with just two hits allowed.
Scoreless through 1 1/2, the Jacks took a 1-0 lead in the second on McQuistan’s solo home run to lead off the inning. Stephen F. Austin, however, responded with a pair of runs in the top of the third to take the lead.
Still down 2-1 after four innings, the Jackrabbit offense roared to life in the fifth to go back on top, scoring six runs on four hits.
With one gone in the inning, Yanney Ponce ripped a double to right center before Andersen drew a walk. Murphy brought the pair home with a double of her own. Later in the inning, Morse singled to plate Murphy from second and after McQuistan drew a two-out walk, Janssen sent a 2-2 pitch past the Ladyjack defense, racing around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Up 7-2 at that point, SDSU worked around SFA runners in the final two innings to close out the win.
• South Dakota State 12, Austin Peay 4 (6 inn.)
The Jackrabbits used a pair of big innings and a barrage of 16 hits to defeat Austin Peay.
Megan Rushing was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a walk and a triple.
Abbey Murphy drove in five runs with a pair of doubles, while Julia Andersen (triple) and Brittney Morse (double) each added two RBIs.
Overall, six Jackrabbits had multi-hit performances.
Taylor Compton (2-3) picked up her second win of the day, starting and throwing four innings with four runs allowed (three earned) and two strikeouts. Madison Hope threw the final two innings and did not allow a run. She had one strikeout.
SDSU fell behind 2-0 in the first but answered with a four-spot top of the second and never looked back.
Notes
South Dakota State has now scored first in five of seven games this season. ... McQuistan leads the team with three home runs. ... Murphy was the first Jackrabbit to drive in five runs in a game since Ali Herdliska did it last Feb. 26 against Alabama A&M. ... SDSU broke the 15-hit mark in a game for the first time since Feb. 17, 2017 when the team had 15 against South Carolina State.
Up Next
South Dakota State wraps up its stay at the UCA Invitational today with a pair of games. The Jackrabbits will take on Louisiana Monroe at 9 a.m. and Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 11 a.m. Both games are on UCA’s campus.
Photo from www.gojacks.com.
