KANSAS CITY (SDSU) – Alexa Williams hit two home runs and Tori Kniesche continued her torrid stretch through The Summit League as South Dakota State completed a three-game sweep over Kansas City on Sunday, April 30, with a 10-0 victory at the Urban Youth Academy softball field. The win for the Jackrabbits – who improved to 14-0 in conference action – clinched their third consecutive regular season conference championship.

The Jacks didn’t produce a hit until the fifth inning, yet held a 1-0 lead through four innings of play, thanks to solid baserunning in the first. Allison Yoder was hit by a pitch with one out and stood on first following the second recorded out. A wild pitch advanced Yoder to second, Jocelyn Carrillo walked, then Yoder stole third to put runners on the corners. A double steal paid off for SDSU as Yoder scored.

Kansas City had the game’s first two hits and had two runners on in the third but couldn’t push a run to home off SDSU’s Kniesche.

Williams came up to bat for the Jacks in the fifth with one out and hit a solo home run to put SDSU ahead 2-0. The Roos tried to keep things interesting in the bottom half of the frame and got runners on the corners behind a two-out triple and walk. Kniesche again was clutch in the circle picking up a strikeout to keep the margin at two.

SDSU put the game out of reach in the sixth. Mia Jarecki led the inning off with a walk and scored on a Yoder single. Jocelyn Carrillo eventually plated Yoder on a sacrifice fly to push the edge to 4-0. Another pair of Roos got on base in the bottom of the sixth, but a line-out to center field got Kniesche out of another jam.

The Jackrabbits scored six runs in the seventh. Williams hit a two-run home run to begin the frame for the first multi-homer showing of her college career. RBI singles by Yoder and Lindsey Culver, along with an infield error by Kansas City, scored SDSU’s other four runs in the inning.

Kniesche gave up a walk in the seventh but closed out the complete-game performance. She gave up five hits and three walks while striking out 11. The win improved her to 20-4 this season and extended a streak of consecutive innings without giving up an earned run to 77 1/3 innings which spans the conference schedule.

Kniesche became the program’s all-time wins leader as she captured the 59th victory of her college career.

South Dakota State recorded seven hits with Jarecki, Yoder and Williams accounting for two each. Kiki McCrea had a two-hit day for the Roos. Kansas City starter Katie Noble picked up the loss and dropped to 3-12. She pitched five innings and gave up just one his and two runs, one of which was unearned.

Notes

  • South Dakota State is now 32-15 overall heading into its senior day weekend at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium. The Jacks are scheduled to host South Dakota from May 5-6. SDSU is also slated to host the Summit League Championship from May 10-13 in Brookings.
  • Kansas City fell to 8-40 overall and 3-15 in conference action.  
  • Jocelyn Carrillo extended her on-base streak to 18 games.

Up Next
South Dakota State returns to Brookings to face South Dakota at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium in a three-game series. First pitch of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, May 5.