SIOUX FALLS – South Dakota State and North Dakota State split a Summit League softball doubleheader at Bowden Field on Thursday, with the Bison winning the opener 9-2 and the Jackrabbits taking the nightcap 11-3 in five innings.
The series finale, scheduled for today, was canceled due to the impending weather.
SDSU (24-12, 5-3) and NDSU (22-14, 2-2) are the only teams in the conference with winning records.
The Jackrabbits’ nonconference doubleheader at North Dakota on Tuesday has also been canceled.
South Dakota State returns to action with three games at IPFW – a doubleheader April 21 at 11 a.m. and a single game April 22 at 11 a.m.
Game 1
• NDSU 9, SDSU 2
Vanessa Anderson homered twice and drove in five runs as the Bison overcame a slow start offensively to finish with nine runs on 10 hits.
Bre Beatty added a two-run shot. Zoe Stavrou went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Montana DeCamp added a 2-for-4 performance.
Jacquelyn Sertic (17-7) gave up two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and a walk in a complete-game performance in the circle.
The Jackrabbits’ Brittney Morse belted a solo home run to right-center field in the second inning to open the scoring. Starting pitcher Madison Hope retired nine consecutive batters after issuing a walk to begin the game.
NDSU got going in the fourth.
Stavrou led off the inning with a single. Anderson’s homer to right-center with one out made it 2-1.
SDSU pulled even in the bottom of the fourth.
Julia Andersen, who finished 2-for-3, and Ali Herdliska had back-to-back singles and Lyndsey Crist walked with one away to load the bases. Erin Mullen plated Andersen with a sacrifice fly to center to knot the score at 2-all.
Stavrou started a sixth-inning rally with a one-out single. Two pitches later, Beatty went deep to left to put the Bison on top for good at 4-2.
NDSU took control with five runs in the seventh.
Madyson Camacho singled and Jaime Barta added a pinch-hit single, as both players advanced on the throw. Stavrou followed with a two-run double and, following a Beatty walk, Anderson smacked her second home run of the game – a three-run shot to left on a 3-2 pitch – to provide for the final margin.
Hope (14-5) took the loss, giving up nine runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 9, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 2
NDSU 000 202 5 – 9 10 0
SDSU 010 100 0 – 2 5 1
Jacquelyn Sertic and Maddie Hansen; Madison Hope, Kendra Conard (7) and Brittney Morse. W – Sertic (17-7). L – Hope (14-5). 2B: NDSU, Zoe Stavrou 2. HR: NDSU, Vanessa Anderson 2, Bre Beatty; SDSU, Morse.
Game 2
• SDSU 11, NDSU 3 (5 inn.)
The Jackrabbits opened up a 5-0 lead after four innings and then, after the Bison rallied with three runs in the top of the fifth, ended the game via the run rule with five runs in the bottom of the frame.
Brittney Morse went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer. Megan Rushing was 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of RBIs.
Taylor Compton (7-6) gave up three runs – all in the fifth frame – on four hits and five walks with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Rushing led off the bottom of the third with a double and moved to third on Yanney Ponce’s sacrifice. Julia Andersen came through with a two-out RBI single to get SDSU on the board and Ali Herdliska drew a walk.
Morse belted a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left field, as the three-run shot put the Jackrabbits on top 4-0.
In the fourth, Lyndsey Crist reached on an error and advanced to second, moved up to third on Baily Janssen’s sacrifice and then scored on Rushing’s squeeze bunt.
The Bison rallied in the top of the fifth as Katie Shoultz and Zoe Stavrou drew consecutive walks with one away before Bre Beatty connected for a three-run homer.
Vanessa Anderson drew a base on balls to chase Compton.
Madison Hope entered and proceeded to walk Tabby Heinz, but got a popout and a groundout to avoid further damage.
The Jackrabbits put up six runs on six hits to put the game away in the bottom of the fifth.
Andersen drew a one-out walk and Herdliska and Morse followed with back-to-back singles to end NDSU starter KK Leddy’s day in the circle – Jacquelyn Sertic, the winner in the opener, entered.
Erin Mullen batted a ball towards third and Bison third baseman Jaime Barta went home trying for a force out; however, her throw was off the mark as Andersen and Herdliska both ended up scoring and Mullen reached second on the fielder’s choice.
With two outs, pinch-hitter Paige Gerdes, Rushing, Ponce and Abbey Murphy tallied consecutive RBI singles to provide for the final margin.
Beatty ended up 2-for-3 with the three-run bomb for the Bison.
Leddy allowed eight runs – four earned – on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. Sertic gave up three runs – none earned – on four hits with a strikeout in one-third of an inning.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 11, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 3 (5 inn.)
NDSU 000 03 – 3 4 3
SDSU 004 16 – 11 9 0
KK Leddy, Jacquelyn Sertic (5) and Tabby Heinz; Taylor Compton, Madison Hope (5) and Brittney Morse. W – Compton (7-6). L – Leddy (4-6). 2B: SDSU, Megan Rushing. HR: NDSU, Bre Beatty; SDSU, Morse.
Register photo: South Dakota State junior Erin Mullen lifts a sacrifice fly to center field during the fourth inning of the Jackrabbits’ 9-2 loss to North Dakota State in Game 1 of a Summit League doubleheader Thursday afternoon at Bowden Field in Sioux Falls. SDSU won Game 2 by an 11-3 margin in five innings.
