BROOKINGS, S.D.—Immediately following a crushing 6-5 loss to its rival in the series opener, South Dakota got clutch performances from senior leaders Jessica Rogers and Dustie Durham in an 11-2 win at South Dakota State in the nightcap.
 
That win locks up the No. 2 seed in the Summit League Tournament for South Dakota (31-23, 12-5 Summit). The Coyotes avoid Wednesday's two play-in games and will start in the four-team, double-elimination tournament at 2:30 p.m. Thursday on the campus of North Dakota State in Fargo. It matches the 2015 runner-up squad for USD's highest seed entering the tournament.
 
Rogers had four hits on the day including a first-inning grand slam and a two-run double in game two. It was the third grand slam of her collegiate career and her first game with six RBIs. Rogers' 32^nd career bomb puts her alone in third place on the Coyotes' all-time list.
 
Durham, meanwhile, did her part in both the circle and the box. She tossed a complete-game six-hitter, striking out three and walking two. As an oh, by the way, Durham also blasted her sixth home run of the season in game two. She was 4-for-7 Saturday against Jackrabbit pitching.
 
If it wasn't for the seventh inning of game one, it would have been a nearly flawless day for South Dakota. The Coyotes methodically built a 5-0 lead against SDSU (33-15, 10-7) in the opener, outhitting the Jacks 10-3 in the process. Starter Alexis Devers faced the minimum through three and two past the minimum through six. She was one out away from completing her fifth shutout of the season.
 
But that out never came.
 
Three walks to the first six hitters in the inning set the table and Julia Andersen cleared it with a bases-loaded, walk-off, three-run double for an improbable 6-5 Jackrabbit win. Each of the Jacks' final four batters, two of them pinch-hitters, were down to their final strike. SDSU's six runs came on just four hits.
 
Andersen was 0-for-3 entering that at bat, but finished with four hits on the day. She had half of the Jacks' six hits in game two including a two-run homer in the fifth inning that cut the Coyotes' lead to 5-2.
 
After Durham's homer in the sixth inning of game two, the Coyotes tacked on five runs for good measure in the top of the seventh. Rogers delivered a two-run double that made it 8-2, Skylar Arellano delivered a pinch-hit RBI single that made it 9-2, and Lauren Wobken whacked a two-run homer to make it 11-2. It was Wobken's seventh home run of the season.
 
The third game of the series is Saturday at 11 a.m. The winner will secure a point for their respective athletic department towards the South Dakota Showdown Series. SDSU currently leads the series 9.5-7.5 with three athletic points up for grabs.