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FARGO, N.D.-- North Dakota State catcher Alyssa Reina hit a pair of home runs, while pitcher Krista Menke matched The Summit League career wins record as the top-seeded Bison defeated the fifth-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits by a score of 16-0 in five innings Friday, May 8, before 224 spectators at the Ellig Sports Complex.

NDSU (41-9) is scheduled to play IUPUI (33-16) at noon Saturday, May 9, in game six at the Ellig Sports Complex. South Dakota (27-24-1) will play the NDSU-IUPUI at 2:30 p.m. The championship game is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday between the game six and game seven winners.

Menke pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning when SDSU filled the bases with a double by Alyssa D'Agostino in between two hit-by-pitches. The senior right-hander struck out the next two South Dakota State batters to end the threat and get out of the inning unscathed.

In the bottom of the second inning NDSU was able to break the game wide open when Alyssa Reina hit a two-run home run to right-center and Katie Shoultz added a two-RBI triple. The Bison brought 13 hitters to the plate in the inning on their way to scoring 10 runs and putting their lead out of reach at 13-0. NDSU would add three more runs before it was over to win the game 16-0 in five innings.

Menke would finish the game with three strikeouts and allowing two hits in three innings of work. It was the senior's 93rd career victory which ties Nicole Terpstra's (DePaul, 1996-99) career mark. She pushed her season strikeout total to 342 to tie Julie Fromm's NDSU single-season record set in 1999.

South Dakota State left seven batters on base in the ball game, including the bases loaded in the first inning. Kaycee Miller contributed the other SDSU base hit other than D'Agostino's double in the first inning.

Reina hit two home runs in the game and drove in a game-high four runs for the Bison. Alex Sobrero, Cheyenne Garcia and Shoultz each added a pair of RBI.

Turning Point
North Dakota State brought 13 batters to the plate in the second inning, scoring 10 runs off eight hits. The Bison led 13-0 after the second inning, a lead too large for the Jackrabbits to overcome.

Inside The Box Score

• Seven NDSU starters recorded a base hit in the game, four had multi-hit games.
• Player of the Year Cheyenne Garcia was three-for-four with two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base.
• NDSU hit .667 (10-for-15) with runners on base and .500 (4-for-8) with two outs.
• The Bison hit .500 (13-for-26) and recorded four stolen bases in the game as a team.

News & Notes

• Krista Menke matched The Summit League's career wins mark (93) and is third on The Summit League's career list with 889.
• It was Reina's second two-home run game of the season.

Up Next

North Dakota State advances to play IUPUI at noon Saturday.

The Basics
Score: No. 3 IUPUI 11, No. 2 South Dakota 9
Records: IUPUI (33-16) South Dakota (26-24-1)
Location: Ellig Sports Complex – Fargo, N.D.

FARGO, N.D. – Third-seeded IUPUI erased a five-run deficit in the seventh inning to defeat No. 2 seed South Dakota by a score of 11-9 Friday afternoon at the Ellig Sports Complex.

South Dakota held a 9-4 lead as the game went into the final inning only to see IUPUI score seven runs on five hits, including a grand slam by Sarah Lawrence, to give the Jaguars the lead 11-9.

The Coyotes got to IUPUI starter Brooke Boetjer early as they first five batters of the game reached base and scored after Morgan Hancock hit a grand slam to give USD a 5-1 lead. Boetjer failed to record an out and Emili Escamilla was forced into action.

IUPUI would respond when Eryn Dillon hit a three-run home run in the top of the third that scored Morgan Schlobohm and Ali Mosier that cut the deficit to just one run.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Hancock hit her second home run of the game as part of a three-run Coyote inning to push the lead back out to 8-4. USD added another run in the sixth off an Allie Daly RBI double, giving them a 9-4 lead headed into the final inning.

The top of the seventh inning saw 11 Jaguars come to the plate on their way to scoring seven runs on five hits to win in dramatic fashion.

USD stranded two runners when the league's hit leader Yvon Minogue grounded out to Escamilla to end the game.

Escamilla pitched 7.0 innings and struck out 10 and she finished as the winning pitcher.

Turning Point
Sarah Lawrence hit a grand slam to cap a seven-run seventh inning for the Jaguars as they came back from a five-run deficit to defeat South Dakota.

Inside The Box Score

• Each team recorded 11 base hits in the ball game and each team hit one grand slam.
• Eryn Dillon and Delilah Wright each had three hits for IUPUI. Five Coyotes had multi-hit games.
• South Dakota hit .400 (8-for-20) with runners on base.
• IUPUI hit .444 (4-for-9) with runners in scoring position.

News & Notes

• Season series between IUPUI and South Dakota is now tied 2-2.
• Morgan Hancock equaled Summit League tournament game records with two home runs and six RBI.

Up Next
IUPUI moves on to face No. 1 seed North Dakota State Saturday at noon CT.

The Basics
Score: No. 2 South Dakota 18, No. 5 South Dakota State 7
Records: South Dakota (27-24-1), South Dakota State (23-29)
Location: Ellig Sports Complex – Fargo, N.D.

FARGO, N.D. – No. 2 South Dakota defeated in-state rival No. 5 South Dakota State 18-7 in an elimination-game slugfest at the Ellig Sports Complex Friday evening. The Coyotes' 18 runs set a new Summit League single-game tournament record.

Each USD starter registered a hit as the Coyote offense was able to score in five of the seven innings, including nine runs in the top half of the third and six more in the seventh. Senior Katie Dinning was five-for-five with two home runs and three RBI.

South Dakota State was able to land the first punch, however, as they dropped four runs in the bottom of the second but would leave the bases load.

Three home runs would account for eight of the nine runs scored by South Dakota in the top half of the third, including a grand slam by Sydney Hancock and a three-run shot by Morgan Hancock. The Yotes led 11-5 in the middle of the third and never looked back. For the game, USD hit four home runs, matching a Summit League tournament game record.

Christian McKone and Alyssa D'Agostino led the Jackrabbit offense as McKone was three-for-five and scored three times while D'Agostino was two-for-three with a home run, three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Madison Frian bounced back from the loss in the team's first game of the day to throw a complete game with six strikeouts to earn the win.

South Dakota State's season ends with a record of 23-29.

Turning Point
South Dakota State took a 5-2 lead into the third inning when South Dakota responded with nine runs in their half of the third, highlighted by Sydney Hancock's grand slam. USD led 11-5 and would never relinquish that lead, adding seven more runs and finishing the game ahead 18-7.
 

Inside The Box Score

• Four Coyotes had at least three RBI: Syndey Hancock (4), Katie Dinning (3), Morgan Hancock (3) and Shelby Keil (3). Seven Coyotes registered at least one run batted in.
• South Dakota hit .600 (9-for-15) with two outs and .476 (10-for-21) with runners on base. 

News & Notes

• South Dakota's 18 runs set a new Summit League tournament single-game record.
• Katie Dinning is the first Coyote to tally five base hits in a single game in program history.
• Dinning became the first Coyote and second player in Summit League history to score 60 runs in a season.

Up Next

South Dakota will await the loser of NDSU-IUPUI Saturday, with the game schedule for 2:30 p.m. CT. South Dakota State's season ends.