BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State's Tori Kniesche tossed a four-hit shutout to lead the top-seeded Jackrabbits into the title game of the 2023 #SummitSB Championship. SDSU blanked South Dakota 3-0 in an elimination game Saturday at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium to set up a title tilt between the top two seeds.
The Coyotes notched a trio of hits off Kniesche in their opening two at-bats, but the righthander was able to get out of those innings unscathed.
The Jackrabbits opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the third and that is all the help Kniesche would need as she surrendered just one hit the rest of the way.
The Jacks loaded the bases off USD starter Clara Edwards in the home half of the third and were able to push across tallies on an RBI-groundout from Rozelyn Carrillo and an error by USD shortstop Tatum Villotta.
The Coyotes threatened in the fourth when Kniesche hit back-to-back batters with one out, but she struck out Alecea Mendoza then retired Edwards on a popup to end the inning.
The Jackrabbits tacked on an insurance run in the fifth when Rozelyn Carrillo reached safely on an error that allowed Mia Jarecki to score from third.
In the circle, Kniesche logged her Division I leading 14
th shutout of the season, while striking out 10 Coyotes. The Jackrabbits advanced to their third straight title game and the fourth since 2018, but will need to beat the Mavericks twice to record the tournament three-peat.
Pitcher of Record
Win – Tori Kniesche (22-5): 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walks, 10 strikeouts
Loss – Clara Edwards (15-12): 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 3 unearned runs, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
Notable Notes
• With 10 punchouts, Tori Kniesche now has recorded double-digits strikeouts 11 times this season.
• This will be SDSU's third straight appearance in the title game and fourth overall since 2018
• Brooke Dumont's had two hits and is now 4-for-8 in the series, which leads SDSU through three games.
Up Next
South Dakota State will play in its fourth #SummitSB Championship title game and third straight on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT against No. 2 seed Omaha. If the Jackrabbits defeat the Mavericks, the if necessary game with take place at 3:30 p.m. CT.
#SummitSB
