Jacks Will Play for Summit Championship
South Dakota State pitcher Tori Kniesche throws a pitch in a softball game against South Dakota in Brookings on Friday, May 12, 2023
May 12, 2023
The top-seeded South Dakota State softball team will play in the Summit League championship game against the Omaha Mavericks.
SDSU (37-16, 17-0) earned the right to take on the Mavericks (31-15, 15-5) after defeating South Dakota 3-0 in an elimination game Friday.
In a rematch of the quarterfinal that saw the Jacks’ home win streak come to an end, Tori Kniesche got the start again and did not disappoint. She pitched a complete game shutout allowing only four hits striking out 10.
Scoring started in the third when Rozelyn Carillo hit a sacrifice grounder to third base allowing pinch runner Emma Christensen to score and Brooke Dumont to advance to third. Right after Carillo’s sister, Jocelyn, reached on an error as Dumont came into score leaving the tally at 2-0.
In the fifth frame, Rozelyn again contributed to a run reaching on an error from third baseman Aleesia Sainz pushing in Mia Jarecki for the final run of the game.
Clara Edwards, of the Coyotes, picked up her 12th loss of the year allowing four hits along with one earned run in the six innings she pitched.
SDSU has bounced back with two straight wins after their loss against USD Thursday to reach the championship game.
Their opponent, Omaha, is set up in a favorable position as they only need one win to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Jackrabbits would need to sweep a double header to win their third straight League championship.
The second seeded Mavericks have had two very good showings so far in the tournament beating North Dakota State 5-1 Thursday and knocking USD to the elimination game Friday afternoon by a 14-2 total.
Kamryn Meyer got the start for Omaha in their contest against the Yotes, but only pitched two of the five innings that were played. It would be safe to assume that she will be getting the start tomorrow against State. Meyer has a 16-8 record throughout the year.
The game is schedule for 1 p.m., but could change due to heavy precipitation that is forecast overnight into the morning.
You can watch the game on Midco Sports as well as stream it on the Summit League Digital Network or Midco Sports Plus. There will also be local radio coverage on The Ranch AM 910, GoJacks.com or the Jackrabbit App with Tyler Merriam.
