Aaron Lynch

March 24 marked the home opener for the women’s softball season &- the earliest recorded home opener in SDSU softball history &- and the Jacks did not disappoint.

The softball team figuratively ran away with the game at Jackrabbit Stadium, defeating Dakota State University by a score of 10-2. Eighteen hits and a lone error aided the Jacks to the victory over Dakota State, who ended the game with three hits and two errors.

Though the Jacks started the game slowly, only scoring one run in the first two innings combined, the pace picked up rapidly as the Jackrabbits’ bats progressively began connecting with the ball.

In the bottom of the third, the Jacks really got into the game with four runs, one of them being by way of home run.

Krista Honken came up big with the shot over the center field fence and was rewarded with a two-run home run, leaving the score at 5-0. In the top of the fifth, the Trojans tried to battle back with two runs of their own, but they would never top the Jackrabbit efforts.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kelsey Lunn scored the Jacks’ sixth run when Honken came up big yet again with a hard-hit single to scratch another hit and her sixth RBI of the season.

The Jacks then put the game away in the bottom of the sixth with an eruption of hits. Leading off, Greta Stroh sparked the offense, notching a single to left with a 1-2 count.

Four Jacks following also nabbed hits off DSU’s Maddie Willers. Brianna Postma finished the game with a deep sacrifice fly to center field, increasing the Jackrabbit lead to 10-2 and triggering an eight-run after five innings mercy rule win.

“We are limited in South Dakota for Division-I teams, so it is nice to have Division-II opponents like Dakota State to play against once in awhile,” said head coach Joanna Lane. “They are a good team and have come a long way. It was fun to have them come play us at home. In the game, we really showed what we could do in the batter’s box.”

The win over the Trojans brings the Jacks’ record up to 8-15 on the season, and starting pitcher Kori Seidlitz got the win, improving her 2010 season record to 7-9. Seidlitz pitched five innings, giving up two runs (one earned), with a 4-8 walks-to-strikeouts ratio.