MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — It was another beautiful day at the ballpark at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on Friday, and once again it was the arm of sophomore Madison Evans for South Dakota who, again, stole the spotlight in a two-hit 2-0 shutout of the South Dakota State to advance to the Summit League championship game for the second-straight year.
“Madison Evans! To have two of her best games of the season, on this stage – two shutouts and flirted with a no-hitter today!! Really? She has shouldered the load all year and to be pitching at this level, at this time,” said head coach Robert Wagner. “All the credit goes to her and the work she’s put in.”
PITCHING DECISIONS
Win: Madison Evans (14-13)
Loss: Madi Mangulis (9-8)
Resiliency has proven to be the definition of this team that began way back in the first week of February: winners of nine of their last 13 games and a perfect 3-0 record at the Summit League Tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Coyotes now sit just one win away from the program’s first-ever conference title and NCAA tournament appearance.
“The team is so much fun and has shown so much improvement throughout this season,” commented Wagner. “Their growth has been extraordinary to witness.”
Star pitcher Madison Evans echoes the sentiment, “It means a lot this year [to get to the championship game] since we had such a rough start. I don’t think anyone thought we would make it this far. We’re the last team without a loss at the tournament and that just shows how resilient we’ve become as a team.”
South Dakota struck for their runs early in the contest, getting four of their seven hits in the second inning to score both of their runs. At the end of the day, it would be enough for Evans to seal the deal.
Brooke Carey started the frame with a single to left center, which was followed by a Delaney White single to get two Yotes on against State’s ace. A sacrifice bunt put both into scoring position and Sara Iburg would deliver an RBI single to right field to score the game’s first run. Abi Brown followed Iburg’s RBI single with one of her own to make it 2-0 and there it would remain the rest of the way.
“One of our goals and standards is to take responsibility for your own growth and continually improve throughout the year. We aim to be playing our best softball at the end of the year,” concluded Wagner. “Offensively, we go into each game with a plan and a mindset and then we wait for the game to tell us what we need to do. Any given player will step up and deliver for us at any given time.”
Evans held South Dakota State hitless through the first six innings, allowing just three base runners on three walks, otherwise had kept the SDSU bats off balance all game long.
“There’s only so much that I can control and if I trust my spin and hit my locations, the rest will sort itself out,” noted Evans on her no-hit bid into the seventh inning.
South Dakota State got their first inning with multiple base runners in the sixth, working a pair of walks in the sixth inning. A loud out from the Jacks but an even better grab from Sara Iburg at the wall in right kept SDSU out of the hit column and a huge strike out kept it 2-0 Yotes through six innings.
The seventh inning saw both teams put a pair of runners on base. South Dakota threatened to push across an insurance run in the top half, but it proved not to be. Headed to the bottom half, Evans took to the circle with that 2-0 lead that held since the second inning.
South Dakota State would end the no-hit bid to start the bottom half with an Amanda Vacanti single to left field. Later, an infield single would put two Jackrabbits on base with one away. Not to be deterred, as she’s done time and time again this season, Evans worked out of the biggest trouble she faced on the day with a ground ball to second base. A perfectly executed 6-4-3 double play would send South Dakota to the Summit League championship game with a 3-0 record on the week.
“I just wanted to come up throwing strikes,” said Evans about that last inning at-bat. “When I saw she hit it to Kiya [Johnson], I’ve seen them [Johnson and Brynnly German] turn that every day in pre-game and really excited they were able to pull me out of that.”
Another stellar outing by Evans sees her pick up her 14th win of the season, which cracks the top-10 in single season victories by a Yote in program history. She also cracks the top-10 list with her 28th start of the season, tying now assistant coach Clara Edwards for T10th in a season.
“They put some much time into scouting. I know that every pitch they call is with a purpose and reason,” said Evans on the prep work from the coaching staff. “When I trust what they’re calling and hit my spots, I know I can have success against just about anyone.”
Evans was electric in the circle, allowing just five base runners all day via two hits and three walks. She struck out nine Jackrabbits, which brings her total up to 178 punch outs on the season. It moves her into third all-time for a single season by a Yote and the most since 2004.
NOTES:
- South Dakota makes the second-straight appearance in the Summit League championship game.
- The Yotes have now made it to three Summit League championship games under head coach Robert Wagner (2019, 2025-26).
- With her nine strike outs on the day, Madison Evans now moves into third all-time in program history for strike outs in a season (178) and is the most strike outs by a Yote since 2004.
- In her 28th start and 14th win of the season; she now cracks the top-10 for single season victories (T10th) and games started (T10th).
- The shutout is the second shut out (of DI opponents) this season, both being in the SLT.
- It’s the first time USD has shutout an opponent in two-straight games since shutting out Kansas City in Games 2 and 3 of last year’s series.
- Evans has now pitched all 21 innings of the SLT for the Yotes, holding a 3-0 record.
- Abi Brown has at least one RBI in two of the three games in Minneapolis. She has three on the week.
- The win is the sixth neutral site victory for the Yotes (6-11-1).
- Dating back to April 18, USD has now won 9 of their last 13 games.
UP NEXT: For the second-straight season, South Dakota will face Omaha for the right to lay claim to ‘Summit League Champion’ and a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Needing just one win, first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis. If necessary, the winner-take-all game will be played at 4 p.m.