VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota rode the bat of catcher
Jessica Rogers and the arm of pitcher
Sarah Lisko in sweeping a doubleheader from North Dakota Saturday at Nygaard Field. The Coyotes took the opener 9-6 in eight innings and the nightcap 4-0.
South Dakota (27-18) improved to 8-0 at home and has won eight straight in Summit play. The Coyotes moved to 10-1 in the league, 1.5 games ahead of North Dakota State which begins a three-game series at South Dakota State Sunday.
Lisko had thrown eight pitches this month prior to Saturday's games, but was ready when called upon. She totaled 11 innings, allowed one unearned run and just nine hits – all singles. After throwing four innings of relief in game one, she started her first game since beating nationally-ranked Michigan back on March 9 and threw her first collegiate shutout. She struck out three and walked none.
Offensively, Rogers hit a two-run homer in game one and a solo shot in game two. They were her fourth and fifth homers of the season and the 29
th and 30
th of her collegiate career. Rogers was 3-for-6 in the twin bill. She moved into fourth place on the Coyotes' all-time home run list and is one shy of Yvon Minogue for third place. Rogers entered the top-five in career RBIs with 114.
Originally set to be played in Grand Forks, North Dakota is the home team for this series and that came into play in the opener. Lisko handed a 6-4 lead to
Dustie Durham in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Hawks (19-26, 4-4) made use of a leadoff walk and an error to score the game-tying runs to force extra innings.
Durham got Ashlynn Uvila to ground out to third with the bases loaded to end the seventh and the Coyotes responded with the go-ahead runs in the eighth. An error – and there were a combined 11 in the game – allowed the Coyotes to take a 7-6 lead and Durham followed with a two-run double to make it 9-6. Durham gave up two hits to begin the bottom of the eighth but got the next three batters to secure the win.
Rogers, Durham, and
Camille Fowler had two hits apiece in the opener and the Coyotes outhit the Hawks 10-8. Only five of the 18 runs were earned. Lisko, who entered with two on and no one out in the third, got 12 outs, allowed three hits, struck out two and walked one.
They couldn't know it at the time, but the Coyotes had enough run support for Lisko just three batters into game two. Fowler drew a leadoff walk,
Alyssa Fernandez singled and
Jamie Holscher laced a triple to make it 2-0. It was the first collegiate triple for Holscher, who went 3-for-9 Saturday and is batting .396 overall.
Fowler scored
Lauren Wobken with a base hit in the fourth to make it 3-0 and Rogers homered off UND starter Emily Rosas in the fifth to make it 4-0. Fernandez and Holscher combined for four of the Coyotes' six hits off Rosas (6-6).
Lisko showed no signs of fatigue as the day went on and in fact retired the final eight batters she faced. Just one Hawk reached third against her. All 14 hits North Dakota produced in the two games were singles.
These are the first games between USD and UND as Summit League foes. The former North Central Conference rivals last met in 2015. The third and final game of the series is Sunday at 11 a.m.
