MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – South Dakota captured its first Summit League Softball Championship in program history on Saturday evening, defeating three-time defending tournament champion Omaha 2-1 in the winner-take-all title game at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The Coyotes avenged last season’s championship game loss to the Mavericks while snapping Omaha’s streak of three consecutive tournament titles to secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Game One
Top-seeded Omaha forced a winner-take-all championship game Saturday afternoon, defeating South Dakota 10-1 in six innings to stay alive and force a winner-take-all game in the 2026 Summit League Softball Championship. The Mavericks piled up 14 hits and scored five runs in the opening inning to hand the Coyotes their first loss of the tournament and set up a decisive rematch later Saturday with the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth on the line.
Omaha wasted little time taking control as Bailey Sample launched a three-run homer to left-center in the opening inning after singles from Rylinn Groff and Taylor Sedlacek. Later in the frame, Ava Rongisch added an RBI single before Haley Wilwerding was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home another run and give the Mavericks a quick 5-0 advantage.
South Dakota answered in the bottom of the third inning when Allie Cromer doubled to left field to score Autumn Iversen and cut the deficit to 5-1. The Coyotes threatened again in the fourth after loading the bases with one out, but Omaha reliever Alexis Wiggins escaped the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to preserve the four-run lead.
The Mavericks responded immediately in the top of the fourth inning with another big offensive surge. Following a South Dakota error, Wilwerding crushed a three-run homer to left field to extend the lead to 8-1. Omaha added two more unearned runs in the sixth inning as Katherine Johnson reached on an error that plated Groff before Marra Cramer delivered an RBI double to left-center.
Omaha’s pitching staff combined to strike out nine batters while limiting the Coyotes to five hits. Maddia Groff struck out five over three innings before Wiggins earned the victory with three scoreless frames in relief.
Game One Pitcher of Record
Win – Alexis Wiggins (Omaha): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Loss – Madison Evans (South Dakota): 1.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Game One Notables
- Sample finished 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.
- Wilwerding drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning.
- Groff went 3-for-4 and scored twice at the top of the Omaha lineup.
- Alyson Edwards added three hits as Omaha totaled 14 hits overall.
- Wiggins stranded three runners in the fourth inning to halt South Dakota’s comeback attempt.
Game Two
Omaha struck first in the opening inning after Bailey Sample walked, stole second and later scored on a South Dakota throwing error to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead despite recording just one hit in the frame.
The Coyotes answered immediately in the top of the second inning. Brooke Carey opened the inning with a double to left-center before Sara Iburg drove her home with an RBI double down the left field line to tie the game. Two batters later, Camryn Kersten lined an RBI single to shortstop to plate Iburg and put South Dakota in front 2-1.
That would be all the offense the Coyotes needed as Madison Evans took control in the circle. The senior scattered just one hit across seven innings while working around seven walks and striking out eight. Omaha threatened multiple times, including leaving two runners stranded in both the fifth and sixth innings, but Evans continually escaped trouble to preserve the lead.
Maddia Groff matched Evans for much of the game, allowing just two runs over seven innings while striking out six, but Omaha’s offense was held to a single first-inning hit from Marra Cramer. The Mavericks were retired in order in the seventh inning as South Dakota sealed the historic championship victory.
Game Two Pitcher of Record
Win – Madison Evans (South Dakota): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 BB, 8 K
Loss – Maddia Groff (Omaha): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Game Two Notables
- South Dakota won its first Summit League Softball Championship in program history.
- The Coyotes avenged last season’s championship game loss to Omaha.
- Omaha’s streak of three consecutive tournament championships came to an end.
- Evans tossed a complete-game one-hitter with eight strikeouts in the championship-clinching victory.
- Kersten finished 2-for-3 with the eventual game-winning RBI and stole two bases.
- Omaha was limited to one hit despite drawing seven walks.
All-Tournament Team
Elleana Navarro, Kansas City
Amai Hanta, North Dakota State
Ella Cook, St. Thomas
Laken Lienhard, St. Thomas
Akayla Barnard, South Dakota State
Madi Mangulis, South Dakota State
Amanda Vacanti, South Dakota State
Maddia Groff, Omaha
Rylinn Groff, Omaha
Bailey Sample, Omaha
Alexis Wiggins, Omaha
Brooke Carey, South Dakota
Madison Evans, South Dakota (MVP)
Autumn Iversen, South Dakota
Kiya Johnson, South Dakota
Delaney White, South Dakota
Up Next
With the 2-1 win, South Dakota earns the Summit League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Coyotes will find out their regional destination during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.