Saturday roundup: South Dakota State softball, Augustana baseball reach tournament championships
The Summit League softball tournament finally got going after days of weather interruptions on Saturday, and top-seeded South Dakota State advanced to the title game with a pair of wins.
The Jackrabbits defeated USD 5-3 on Saturday morning, then shutout third-seed North Dakota State 2-0 later in the day to advance to Sunday's championship of the double-elimination tournament at 2-0. They’d have to be beaten twice in the championship.
SDSU had been slated to host the tournament in Brookings by virtue of winning last year’s conference championship, but inclement weather and damage from Thursday’s storm forced the tournament to move to Vermillion on Saturday. That’s where Sunday’s championship will be held.
In the opener, SDSU knocked off their rivals from Vermillion on the power of a grand slam home run by Jocelyn Carrillo, making a winner of pitcher Grace Glanzer.
In their semifinal game, Tori Kniesche fired a one-hit shutout while Cylie Halvorson launched a two-run homer to left-center field in the first inning to provide the only offense of the game. It was Halvorson’s 16th homer of the year and SDSU’s 73rd home run of the season, tying the school record set last year.
The Jacks will take on Omaha in Sunday's championship in Vermillion. Omaha beat NDSU 3-2 in the elimination game, after the Mavs had eliminated USD with a 3-1 win over the Coyotes earlier Saturday. The Coyotes finish the season 28-25.
Omaha and SDSU will square off at 10 a.m. Saturday. If Omaha wins, the teams will play again at 12:30.
NSIC baseball
Minnesota State, Mankato advanced to Sunday’s Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament championship with a 5-4 win over Augustana on Saturday in Brandon. The Mavericks scored two runs in the ninth inning to win it after the Vikings took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth.
That forced Augustana into an elimination game later Saturday, where they defeated Duluth 11-1 to get back to Sunday's title game. Jed Schmidt worked seven strong innings to earn the win for the 11th-ranked Vikings, while Jack Hines was 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.
The Vikings and Mavericks will meet in the title game on Sunday at 11 a.m. The Vikings will have to beat MSU twice.
Augustana softball
The Augustana softball team saw its season end in the Division II tournament, as the Vikings lost 4-3 in extra innings to Central Oklahoma in the Central Region championship. The Vikings trailed 3-2 going to the seventh and scored a run to force extras, but lost in the additional frame.
Augustana finished the season with 50 wins and was the NSIC regular season and tournament champion.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Saturday roundup: South Dakota State softball, Augustana baseball reach tournament championships
