KANSAS CITY, Mo. — South Dakota takes their second-straight series victory behind the stellar outing from
Madison Evans in the circle who notches a career-best 12 strike outs and four extra base hits as a team in the 5-3 victory over Kansas City to pick up their sixth Summit League victory of the season.
With the victory, the Coyotes move into fourth-place in the Summit League with just one weekend to go. The Yotes now sit 6-9 on the season in league play, sitting a half a game up over South Dakota State who had their series finale with UST cancelled.
PITCHING DECISIONS
Win: Madison Evans (10-13)
Loss: Alyssa Droge (2-5)
Kansas City scored all three of their runs in the second inning, as Evans would hold them scoreless the rest of the way and worked out of jams multiple times. From the second inning on, South Dakota would score four unanswered runs to take the rubber match and their second-straight Summit League series victory.
Free bases were the theme in the first inning for South Dakota with the first two base runners of the day getting on via the hit by pitch and walk. Kansas City's starter Alyssa Droge was able to escape with no damage. In the bottom half, Evans works around a pair of walks with a pair of strike outs.
A leadoff single in the second from
Kiya Johnson gets the business started. Evans lays down a sac bunt to move Johnson into scoring position to bring up
Delaney White. White would deliver with the first RBI of the weekend since Friday's opener with a single back up the middle to make it 1-0 Yotes.
The Roos put a pair of runners in scoring position with just one away in the bottom of the second inning. It was bend, but don't break mantra for the Yotes. Evans would battle back from a 3-1 count to get a strike out for the second out of the inning. But leadoff hitter Ella Husak triples to score two KC runs to give the Roos their first lead of the day. A wild pitch would end up plating the third KC run of the frame, taking a 3-1 lead through two innings.
South Dakota looked to put up more runs immediately in response.
Brooke Carey would record her first triple of the season in the third with just one out. With two outs,
Ella McGee delivered the second triple of the inning to pull within one run. Evans bounced back with her first 1-2-3 inning to keep it 3-2 Kansas City through three innings, recording her sixth strike out of the day.
Back to work in the fourth inning, South Dakota's bats came alive with three-straight two out hits that resulted in a pair of runs to give the Yotes the lead once again.
Abi Brown got it started with a two-out double to put herself into scoring position as the tying run to bring about the top of the order. An RBI single from Iversen in the next at-bat brought home the tying run, making it 3-3.
Allie Cromer, in turn, responded with an RBI double to score Iversen from first to give USD the 4-3 advantage.
Kansas City got a couple of runners on base in the fifth inning with runners on first and second with one away, thanks to a pair of bunt singles from the Roos. A shallow single to left center loaded up the bases with South Dakota protecting a one run lead. Evans' ninth punch out of the day was a big one to get the much needed second out. With a full count and the bases loaded, Evans gets her tenth strike out of the day to protect the lead through five innings.
Carrying that momentum into the sixth inning, the Coyotes worked a walk and a fielder's choice with a well-placed ball on the left side got two runners on to start the inning. Kansas City would then turn to the bullpen for the second time on the afternoon, turning to their ace Delilah Robles in an attempt to keep it a one-run contest. Robles would do just that, working around one walk, she would not allow the Yotes to get on the board with USD leading 4-3 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
Heading to the seventh, still with a one-run lead for the Yotes, singles from Johnson and White put runners at first and third with one away looking to get some insurance runs late. A sacrifice fly for Brown scored Johnson to make it 5-3 South Dakota, getting that much wanted insurance run for the bottom half of the frame.
Kansas City started the home half of the seventh with a leadoff walk and a single to set up the middle part of the KC order, trailing 5-3. A second walk would load the bases to start the innings as the pressure mounted for the Yotes. A big pop out to foul territory was a massive first out of the inning for South Dakota. The career-best 12
th strike out comes at the perfect time for Evans for the second out, as she gets the final out of the game with a fly ball to right field as South Dakota takes the rubber match with a 5-3 win.
Iversen's hit in the fourth inning made it seven-straight games with a base hit, the new longest hit streak of the season for the Yotes. McGee records a triple, while the Yotes had three extra base hits as a team.
The Summit League leader in innings worked, Evans returned to the circle in Game 3 for her 24
th start of the campaign. It was another stellar outing for the sophomore as she records her fourth double-digit strike out game. She put in another phenomenal outing with 12 strike outs on 33 batters faced, throwing 168 pitches (327 on the weekend). She allowed just the three runs on seven hits and five walks.
SCORING NOTE: In the third inning, on X (formerly, Twitter) at the time of the play, Carey's ball down the right field line was scored a hit (triple). The decision was made later to be ruled a Kansas City error and, as such, the hit (triple) is not awarded to Carey.
UP NEXT: South Dakota will conclude the regular season next weekend when they welcome the league-leading Mavericks of Omaha to Nygaard Field for a three-game set, April 30-May 2.
Stay up to date with all things Coyotes by following South Dakota Athletics on Facebook
/SDCoyotes, X (Twitter)
@SDCoyotes, and Instagram
@sdcoyotes!
#GoYotes
