LINCOLN, Neb. — History continued to be rewritten for the South Dakota softball program on Day 2 of the Lincoln Regional at the NCAA Tournament. The Coyotes earn a comeback victory over No. 25-ranked Louisville for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win and victory over an ACC opponent. The nightcap saw USD fall to a quality Grand Canyon team in extra innings, ending the historic run.
GAME 1: South Dakota 4, Louisville 2
PITCHING DECISIONS
Win: Madison Evans (16-15)
Loss: Madi Reeves (4-2)
A leadoff bunt, a stolen base, and a ball that squirts away sets Louisville up with a runner on third right off the bat in the elimination game. It would be back-to-back hits for the Cardinals, as the second hit drove in the first run of the day.
Madison Evans would work out of the frame, leaving a pair of runners on base, to keep it a 1-0 game after the top half of the first.
Until South Dakota was finally able to breakthrough into the run column in the third, the Yotes continually put pressure on the Louisville starter getting the tying run into scoring position. The constant pressure on the Cardinals pitching staff and defense all afternoon long.
Small ball was the name of the third inning. An infield double from
Ella McGee and a pair of bunts had the Cardinals on the defensive.
Delaney White with an RBI bunt scored the go-ahead run to make it 2-1 South Dakota. An RBI ground out from
Brooke Carey would make it 3-1, which would prove to be all the runs needed for
Evans in the circle.
Protecting a one-run lead into the fifth inning, Evans issued a full count walk to start the inning – working around a pair of walks in the frame – but made pitches and trusted her defense behind her. A weak pop-up and a fielder's choice (5-4) helped get out of the inning.
South Dakota would capitalize on a Louisville error in the fifth for an insurance run, making the one-run game a more breathable 4-2 contest.
Heading into the sixth up two runs, in similar fashion to the fourth inning against the Huskers, Evans and company found themselves with the bases loaded to start the frame. It was time for that Evans' magic she has had all season long in bases loaded jams. Yet again she pulled the Yotes through with no runs surrendered – a weak pop out to second, a strike out, and a line out to left field – as South Dakota led 4-2 heading into the final frame.
Louisville would get a pair of base runners on in the final frame, but Evans would get the final out with a line drive to left field to secure the Coyotes' first-ever NCAA Tournament win.
Evans finishes the season with a 16-15 record with the 16 wins sitting in a three-way tie for sixth in program history for a single season. In her 22
nd complete game of the season, she allowed just two Louisville runs (one earned), giving up six hits. She allowed five walks and had four strike outs on the day.
GAME 2: Grand Canyon 5, South Dakota 4 (F/8)
PITCHING DECISIONS
Win: Taryn Batterton (11-2)
Loss: Peyton Paulsen (3-11)
South Dakota did not back down from their third top-30 RPI opponent in the second elimination game of the day.
German Campbell (ND) threw one of her best outings of the season. She scattered 11 Grand Canyon hits and allowed just four runs (three earned), while walking and striking out three Lopes batters.
A pair of back-to-back home runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning proved to be the difference in the game as South Dakota, for the second time this season, went toe-to-toe with a 50+ win Grand Canyon team.
The third inning would see three combined runs. A
Kiya Johnson single to center field would drive in a run, while Grand Canyon played hot potato with the throw in getting away for the go-ahead run to come across to score. The Lopes would pull even with a run of their own, making 2-2 through three.
That score would hold until the sixth inning as Campbell put together a quality outing against a high-powered Lopes lineup. Those bats proved that in the sixth with back-to-back solo home runs to give GCU the 4-2 lead and giving South Dakota three outs to work with.
The no-quit Coyotes would continue to fight. Knocked down in the home half of the sixth but not out of the fight.
Long drawn out at-bats to start the top of the seventh, with both going to full counts.
Sara Iburg would work a full count walk, getting on base with one away.
Ella McGee followed that with a double to put the tying run into scoring position. Wagner would go to the bench, turning to junior catcher
Katie Hofmann who had all of 22 at-bats on the season. She would work a full count and drop a ball into center field to knot it up at 4-4.
Grand Canyon would score the game-winning run with an RBI single in the eighth inning to advance to the regional final against Nebraska, taking the game 5-4.
NOTES:
- The Lincoln regional featured three top-30 RPI teams with South Dakota competing against all three, never being run-ruled in any of the three games.
- The win over RPI No. 29 Louisville was a top-30 RPI win for the Yotes and is the first-ever win over an ACC opponent in program history.
- Evans finishes the season with 194 strike outs and an ERA of 3.84.
- Her 35 starts sits alone for second-most in program history in a season, while her 198.2 innings of work sits sixth-most in a season.
The historic season for South Dakota came to an end with the loss in the second game of the day to Grand Canyon, ending the season with a 21-36-1 (7-11 Summit) record. The Coyotes won 11 of their last 19 games of the season, dating back to April 18, to earn a berth into the Summit League Tournament, to winning four games in four days at the SLT, earning the program's first-ever berth to the NCAA Tournament, and to winning their first-ever NCAA Tournament game over the ACC's Louisville (4-2) in an elimination game.
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