BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State’s aspirations for a third consecutive Summit League Tournament Championship were thwarted on Sunday as the Jackrabbits fell to Omaha, 1-0, in a game that spanned a two-day span at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium.
First pitch took place on Saturday afternoon following a series of rain delays. Omaha – as the home side – took the field first and allowed one baserunner via an outfielding error, but escaped the inning without any damage.
SDSU opened the bottom half of the first in the field when rain began to make an impact on the play on the field. Jackrabbit starter Tori Kniesche took the circle and the first batter picked up a hit on a slow dribbler past Kniesche as she tried to maintain her footing. The Mavericks took advantage of three walks and a flyout to right field in the rain to take a 1-0 edge. With one out in the inning and the bases loaded, the game was called for the day due to conditions in the area.
Play resumed on Sunday afternoon and Kniesche made quick work of two batters as she completed a strikeout and groundout. From there it was a pitcher’s duel.
Omaha wouldn’t record another hit until the fifth inning. The Mavs didn’t have a runner reach second base the rest of the game.
SDSU’s Alli Boyle drew a walk in the third and Allison Yoder did the same in the fifth, otherwise Kniesche and Omaha’s Kameryn Meyer dominated as the two displayed their prowess as the two best pitchers in The Summit League.
The Jackrabbits’ best opportunity came in the seventh. Jocelyn Carrillo led off the frame with a lined shot to center field, however the Mavs’ Marra Cramer made a shoestring catch for the first out of the inning. Lindsey Culver followed and picked up the Jackrabbits’ first hit of the game as she socked a single into the outfield. An Emma Osmundson walk put runners at first and second with one out.
Meyer claimed The Summit League’s Tournament MVP by closing the game out. She forced Alexa Williams into a flyout and Boyle into an infield popout to help earn Omaha’s first Summit League title.
Kniesche threw six innings for the Jackrabbits allowing two hits and one run. She struck out seven batters and walked four.
Meyer went all seven innings for Omaha. The Maverick pitcher gave up just one hit and struck out 11 while walking three.
South Dakota State had four players named to The Summit League All-Tournament team in Kniesche, Shannon Lasey, Brooke Dumont and Rozelyn Carrillo.
After the game, SDSU was selected and will take part in the 2023 National Invitational Softball Championship in Fort Collins, Colo., at the Triple Crown Sports complex. The event is slated to begin on May 18 with SDSU taking on Tarleton State at 1 p.m. MT.
This will be the fifth edition of the NISC, which offers an NCAA Division-I softball postseason option for deserving programs outside the NCAA tournament field. The NISC will be played on two fields at the TCS facility in a double-elimination format through the Super Regionals round. The championship concludes with a four-team single-elimination bracket. The tournament will stream on FloSoftball.
South Dakota State has previously participated in the event twice. The Jackrabbits competed in both the second and third editions of the NISC in 2018 and 2019. SDSU went 3-2 in its 2018 appearance and 1-2 in 2019.
Also in the tournament field is BYU, CSU Northridge, Iowa, Maryland, San Jose State and UC Davis.
The Jackrabbits will be making their fifth postseason showing overall during their Division I era after advancing to the previous two NCAA Tournaments. SDSU is in the midst of its best run in program history with five straight seasons of 30-plus victories which includes three Summit League regular season and two conference tournament titles.