KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A four-for-four day at the plate with a home run and two RBI for Allie Cromer as South Dakota softball outhits the Kansas City Roos 12-3 to open the three-game set in the win column, taking the opener, 5-4.
 
PITCHING DECISIONS
Win: Madison Evans (9-13)
Loss: Delilah Robles (11-15)
 
All five runs came in the first three innings of play for South Dakota, who held off a late push from KC to pick up Summit League win No. 5. Cromer alone outhit the entire Kansas City line-up on the evening.
 
Autumn Iversen led off the contest with a base knock to right center, marking five-straight games with a hit. She would steal second later in the frame, then moving up to third on a throwing error by the KC catcher. South Dakota would be unable to get the run in, despite Brooke Carey giving a ball a deep ride into centerfield for the third out.
 
In an unexpected twist to the bottom half of the first, Kansas City's third home run of the season came via an inside the park home run that skirted down the right field line. Ella Husak slipped and fell on the way home, but she avoided the tag, to put KC up 1-0 early.
 
Picking up the general trend from the Drake game earlier in the week, the Yotes weren't phased by the early KC run. Allie Cromer started the second with a double into the left field gap. A sacrifice bunt and attempt to get the lead runner would ultimately get the Yotes with runners on first and third with no one out. Madison Evans would help her own cause in the circle and drive in the tying run with an infield single up the middle, being the second hit of the frame.
 
Kansas City would retake the lead with a second run in the second inning. The Roos would load the bases with no outs, but Evans would bend but not break as she allowed just one run in the precarious situation she found herself in to start the frame. After two full innings, Kansas City lead 2-1.
 
For the third-straight inning, the Yotes get a hit to leadoff an inning thanks to a single from Ella McGee. Almost a repeat of the first inning, Wagner puts the wheels in motion as McGee swipes second and a Roos throwing error allows the tying run to advance to third with no outs. Sara Iburg would triple to drive in the tying run, while the Yotes leading hitter in Carey would give USD their first lead at 3-2 with an RBI single. Cromer would also get her second extra base hit of the game with her third home run in five games, giving South Dakota a 5-2 lead.
 
Evans would settle into a groove as she would hold Kansas City scoreless for two-straight innings. She worked her first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, getting two quick outs. On the third batter of the inning, she got behind 3-0 but through three-straight strikes that kept the bat on the KC shoulder to get her sixth punch out of the day.
 
More congestion on the bases for Kansas City in the home half of the fifth inning. They began to chip away at the lead. But once again, Evans would limit the damage as the Roos only get one, cutting the USD lead to 5-3.
 
In the sixth, Iversen singled to get her sixth multi-hit game of the campaign as South Dakota was on the hunt for their first runs since the third inning with runners on first and second with one away. The Yotes would load the bases but not be able to plate anymore runs.  
 
Leading by two runs heading to the bottom of the seventh, Kansas City looked to make things interesting. A single and a HBP with one away got the tying runs on base. A walk would load the bases for the Roos as head coach Robert Wagner came out to settle the troops. Kansas City trades an out for a run with an RBI ground out for the second out, putting the winning run on second base for the Roos. Evans would secure the victory with a routine popup to shallow right field as South Dakota takes Game 1, 5-4.
 
Evans, in her 23^rd start of the season, compiled another strong outing and picked up her ninth win of the season in her 14^th complete game. She threw 159 pitches in her seven innings of work, allowing just three Kansas City runs on three hits surrendered.
 
UP NEXT: The series continues tomorrow, April 25, with Game 2 slated for a 12 p.m. (noon) first pitch from the Urban Youth Academy in downtown Kansas City.