Official Athletic Web Site of the University of South Dakota Coyotes - Softball

Tiffany Hill picks up third win of season; Tiffany Davis hits fifth home run.

March 18, 2001

VERMILLION, S.D. - Against Northern State, the Coyotes again showed their offensive prowess by jumping to a 5-1 lead after three innings and recording a 9-4 win at the Dome Classic on Sunday. The win gave South Dakota three victories in four games at the tournament. South Dakota received a strong pitching performance from Tiffany Hill, who allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work. She also had five strikeouts and one walk. Janice Alswager (Columbus, Neb.) replaced Hill in the fourth but could not find her rhythm as Northern State scored three runs on four hits which forced USD head coach Kim Zarling to bring Hill back into the game in the fifth inning. Then, Hill, who won her third game of the season, shut down the visitors from Aberdeen.

Offensively for the Coyotes, sophomore Julie MacRunnels had a single, double and triple in four at bats with four RBI and a run scored. Tiffany Davis had two hits, including her fifth home run of the season and two RBI. Keri Bolte (Ralston, Neb.) added two hits, including a triple. Meanwhile, Leanna Chapman continued her fine play this weekend. She was two for two with four runs scored. In the last five games, she has 10 hits in 12 official at bats.

The Coyotes opened the scoring in the first after Chapman was hit by a pitch. After being sacrificed to second, the junior outfielder scored on MacRunnels' double to center field. Then, Chapman ignited a four-run Coyote third inning. With one out, Chapman reached on an infield single and moved to second when Alswager was safe on a fielder's choice. Both runners scored on a triple by MacRunnels. Davis capped the inning with a two-run home run to left center as the Coyotes led 5-0. It was Davis' fifth home run of the season and pushed her RBI total to 12 this year.

Northern State answered with a run in the bottom of the third, two in the four and another run in the fifth. The Wolves scored on consecutive doubles by Cyndy Bronte and Anne Toulouse in the third. In the fourth, Bronte had another double, which scored two runs as Northern drew within 6-3. South Dakota put two runs on the board in the fifth when Bills singled and Bolte tripled to right center and scored on an error. Northern State added a run in the bottom of the fifth when Toulouse doubled and scored on a double by Amy Gurney. At that point, the Coyotes brought Hill back into the game and she closed down the Wolves' hitting attack. South Dakota scored a run in the sixth when Chapman singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error. MacRunnels promptly knocked her home with a single through the left side.