MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Sixth-seeded South Dakota State continued its postseason surge Thursday afternoon, rallying past No. 2 seed St. Thomas with a 7-5 victory in the second round of the 2026 Summit League Softball Championship at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
After snapping an 11-game conference losing streak with an opening-round win over North Dakota State on Wednesday, the Jackrabbits punched their ticket into Friday’s semifinal round behind a late offensive explosion led by sophomore Amanda Vacanti.
South Dakota State opened the scoring in the second inning when Ella Berlage singled to right field to bring home Emma Christensen for a 1-0 lead. The lead was SDSU's first this season against the Tommies as the Jackrabbits dropped both games of the regular season series in Brookings. St. Thomas answered in the bottom half as Laken Lienhard lined a two-run double to center field, scoring Zoe Trotter and Miley Wichman to put the Tommies in front 2-1.
The Jackrabbits evened the score in the fourth inning after the Summit League Freshman of the Year Bria Riebel scored on an RBI single from Emma Vike, but St. Thomas regained the advantage in the bottom half when Trotter launched a solo home run to left field.
Vacanti tied the game again in the fifth with a solo homer before the Tommies answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Summit League Player of the Year Ella Cook delivered an RBI single and Abbi Stierlen followed with a run-scoring double to give St. Thomas a 5-3 lead entering the sixth.
South Dakota State’s offense erupted in the sixth inning as Quinn Marnocha scored on an RBI double by Akayla Barnard before Vacanti crushed her second homer of the afternoon, a three-run blast that swung the lead back to the Jackrabbits at 7-5.
Pitcher Madi Mangulis shut the door from there, tossing a complete game and stranding the tying run on base in the seventh to secure the victory. With the win, South Dakota State became the first No. 6 seed to win its first two games since the field expanded to six teams in 2014.
The losses by No. 2 St. Thomas and No. 1 Omaha in today’s second round mark the first time in the six-team tournament format that both top seeds have not advanced to the winner's bracket semifinals.
Pitcher of Record
Win – Madi Mangulis (South Dakota State): 7.0 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Loss – Ella Cook (St. Thomas): 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Notables
- Vacanti finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs.
- Barnard went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored.
- South Dakota State totaled 12 hits, its second consecutive game with 12 hits in the tournament.
- Trotter homered and scored twice for the Tommies.
- The Jackrabbits improved to 2-0 in the tournament as the No. 6 seed for the first time in Summit League history.
Up Next
South Dakota State advances to face No. 4 seed South Dakota Friday at 1 p.m. CT in the winner's bracket semifinals with a trip to the championship on the line. Second-seed St. Thomas will play top-seeded Omaha at 5:15 p.m. CT tonight in an elimination game.
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