VERMILLION, S.D. — Omaha Softball rallied in the seventh inning to extend the game, but South Dakota scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th to hand the Mavericks a 5-4 loss Friday afternoon.
Omaha (33-10), which clinched the Summit League regular-season championship on Thursday, fell to 14-2 in conference play. South Dakota (16-32-1) improved to 7-10 in the Summit League.
The Mavericks played from behind most of the day.
Omaha left two runners on base in the top of the first inning before the Coyotes strung together four singles in a three-run bottom of the first against Omaha starter
Alexis Wiggins.
South Dakota added another run in the sixth when Allie Cromer led off with a home run to make it 4-0. Wiggins worked the first six innings, allowing eight hits.
Omaha's offense put runners on base in every inning but spent most of the afternoon searching for timely hits. Through the first six innings, Omaha was 1 for 14 with runners on base and stranded 10 baserunners.
But Omaha has been shut out only once this season, and the Mavericks mounted a frenetic rally in the seventh.
Taylor Sedlacek and
Bailey Sample led off the inning with singles. With one out,
Marra Cramer's single brought home Sedlacek. Then with two outs,
Sammy Schmidt doubled to left-center to score Sample and Cramer. Senior
Ava Rongisch followed with a game-tying double to left-center on a 3-1 pitch.
After being held to four hits through the first six innings, Omaha had five hits in the seventh to force extra innings.
Omaha put a baserunner on in each of the three extra innings but couldn't score the go-ahead run. In the bottom of the 10th, South Dakota led off with a single. After a sacrifice bunt, Brooke Carey singled up the middle with two outs to end the game.
Maddia Groff, who threw a complete game Thursday, pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, striking out five. She fell to 15-6 on the season.
Sedlacek and Schmidt led Omaha's offense with three hits apiece. Sedlacek had a pair of doubles.
Omaha will play its regular-season finale at noon CT Saturday against South Dakota.
