BROOKINGS, S.D. – Top-seeded Omaha advanced to its fifth consecutive Summit League Softball Championship title game with a thrilling 8-6 walk-off win over No. 2 South Dakota State in nine innings Friday afternoon at Jerald T. Moriarty Softball Field.
The Mavericks erased a three-run deficit in the seventh inning and walked it off two innings later on a two-run home run from Katherine Johnson, capping a back-and-forth semifinal showdown that featured 30 hits and four lead changes.
South Dakota State wasted no time getting on the board, striking for one in the first on an RBI single by Brooke Dumont to score Mia Jarecki. The Jackrabbits extended the lead to 3-0 in the second inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Caitlyn Wells and an RBI single from Jarecki.
Omaha responded in the fourth after SDSU had kept them off the board for three innings. A leadoff single and a pair of RBI hits by Marra Cramer and Haley Wilwerding fueled a three-run frame that pulled the Mavericks even at 3-3.
SDSU would jump right back in front with a run in the fifth when Emma Christensen drove in pinch runner Quinn Marnocha. The Jackrabbits added two more in the seventh on an RBI double from Christensen and a bunt single by Akayla Barnard to push the lead to 6-3.
Down to their final three outs, the Mavericks would once again erase a three-run deficit. Rylinn Groff plated a run with an RBI single to left, and Sydney Thomason followed with a double to right to make it 6-5. Johnson then lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Groff to tie the game at 6-6.
After holding SDSU scoreless in the eighth and ninth, Omaha completed the comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Thomason led off with a single and Johnson followed with a towering two-run homer to right field, sending the Mavericks to the championship round in walk-off fashion.
Johnson finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs, including the game-tying and game-winning runs. Thomason went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Groff, Cramer, and Wilwerding each drove in one.
Despite outhitting Omaha 18-12, South Dakota State stranded 11 runners. Barnard led the Jacks with four hits while Christensen collected three hits and two RBIs.
Pitcher of Record
Win – Maddia Groff (25-4): 9.0 IP, 18 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Loss – Tayler Baker (10-6): 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Notables
- Omaha advanced to its fifth consecutive Summit League Championship title game.
- Katherine Johnson went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and the walk-off blast in the ninth.
- Johnson’s homer was her seventh of the season and second of the tournament.
- SDSU’s Barnard tallied four hits and an RBI, while SDSU’s Christensen finished with three hits and two RBIs.
- South Dakota State outhit Omaha 18-12 and had five players with multi-hit games
- Omaha overcame a pair of three-run deficits, including one in the seventh and scored five unanswered runs to win
Up Next
With the 8-6 win, Omaha advances to Saturday’s championship game at 1 p.m. CT. South Dakota State will play in an elimination game this afternoon against No. 3 South Dakota.
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