BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Omaha softball team rolled to a pair of wins at South Dakota State on Saturday, taking the doubleheader 11-1 (5 inn.) and 10-4 at the Jackrabbit softball stadium.
With the victories, the Mavericks improved to 13-26 overall and 4-5 in Summit League play. SDSU fell to 17-30 overall and 4-8 in league play.
Omaha continues Summit League play next weekend, visiting IUPUI for a three-game series. The Mavericks open their weekend on Saturday, April 28 with a doubleheader in Indianapolis starting at 1 p.m. CT. Links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com
Omaha 11, South Dakota State 1 (5 inn.)
Sophomore Laura Roecker (7-13) tossed a complete-game three-hitter in the opener to pick up the win. The loss went to SDSU starter Ashlyn Bender (9-11), who gave up seven runs – four earned – on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Freshman Vicky Kinney led the Omaha offense, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Seniors Lia Mancuso (3-for-4, RBI and two stolen bases) and Nicole Warren (3-for-4 and an RBI) also had three hits. Junior Kelly Pattison finished the day 1-for-3 at the plate with three RBI. Senior Lizzie Noble finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI and four runs scored, as Omaha finished with 15 hits.
Kinney drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the first inning. Warren added an RBI single of her own to put Omaha up 2-0.
Freshman Emma Dargy reached on a fielding error to open the second, and Noble drew a one-out walk. Two batters later Pattison singled to left to drive in two more for a 4-0 UNO lead.
South Dakota State got on the board in the bottom of the second inning on Mallory McQuistan's lead-off solo home run.
Omaha put three runs on the board in the top of the third on four hits and an SDSU error. Noble drove in a pair of runs with a single to left center, and then came in to score on Mancuso's double to left.
UNO added two more runs on two hits and an error in the fourth inning. Kinney opened the inning with a single and came in to score as freshman Kaitlynn Hunt reached on an error. Klosterman then scored as Dargy grounded out to second for a 9-1 Maverick advantage.
Noble and Mancuso hit back-to-back singles to open the fifth, and Noble came in to score on Pattison's sacrifice fly. Kinney then singled to push the lead to 11-1.
South Dakota State put two runners on in the bottom of the fifth, but Roecker was able to retire the final two batters for the win.
Omaha 10, South Dakota State 4
Vicky Kinney, Emily Klosterman and Lizzie Noble all homered to lead UNO in the series finale. Klosterman finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Noble went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Kinney (2-for-4, two RBI), Kaitlynn Hunt (2-for-3) and Nicole Warren (2-for-3, two runs) also had multi-hit games.
Laura Roecker (8-13) went the distance to earn the win, allowing four runs and three walks with seven strikeouts. SDSU starter Madison Hope (0-6) pitched 3.0 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits with a strikeout.
Omaha took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Noble led off the game with a solo home run. UNO made it 2-0 in the second on an RBI single from Hailey Bartz.
South Dakota pulled even in the second on Christian McKone's two-run homer to left center.
UNO responded with four runs on five hits in the top of the third inning. Mancuso and Pattison opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Kinney's RBI single to right drove in Mancuso, and Warren's sacrifice fly brought in Pattison. Klosterman then smashed a two-run homer to left to put Omaha out front 6-2.
Omaha continued its offensive onslaught in the top of the fifth. Warren opened the inning with a single and moved to second when Klosterman was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Warren came in on a wild pitch. After a walk to sophomore Natalie Mostek, Klosterman scored on a sacrifice bunt from Bartz.
Omaha added single runs in the top of the sixth and seventh to take a 10-2 lead.
South Dakota State put two runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh before Omaha secured the 10-4 victory.
