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

Pitchers allow only one run, 10 hits in 2-1, 4-0 victories over Jackrabbits.

March 30, 2001

VERMILLION, S.D. - Pitching was the name of the game for The University of South Dakota women's softball team in a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota State University on Friday afternoon and evening at the DakotaDome. In improving their overall record to 17-13, the Coyotes handed SDSU, 2-1 and 4-0 defeats. SDSU fell to 6-14 on the season.

In South Dakota's best pitching performances of the season, sophomore pitchers Tiffany Hill (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Janice Alswager (Columbus, Neb.) limited South Dakota State to one run and 10 hits in 15 innings of work on Friday.

Game 1 - USD 2, SDSU 1

Tiffany Hill limited SDSU to one run and four hits in eight innings as South Dakota picked up a 2-1 victory in game one of the twin bill. Hill (6-6) won her sixth game of the season as allowed just a second inning run. After the second inning, she shut down SDSU hitters over the next six innings. Hill had three strikeouts and two walks in the standout performance.

SDSU jumped to 1-0 lead in the second inning by tallying a run on three hits. Tara Witt doubled to open the inning but was thrown out at the plate on a perfect throw from Julie MacRunnels (Sioux Falls, S.D.) to catcher Tiffany Davis (Hawarden, Iowa) after Becky Bauerle singled to centerfield. Emily Haywood followed with a double that scored Bauerle. South Dakota tied the game in their home half of the fifth inning. With one out, Jessica Bills (Sioux Falls, S.D.) walked and Jen Hedegaard (Underwood, Iowa) entered the game as a pinch runner. Melanie Robotham (Seward, Neb.) singled to advance Hedegaard to second. Kaja Martinson (Burnsville, Minn.) followed with a single but Hedegaard was out at third when she overran the base. Cara Ellwanger (Rapid City, S.D.) entered the game as a pinch hitter and single up the middle to score Robotham.

Neither team mounted a threat until the bottom of the eighth when the Coyotes tallied one run on two hits for the win. In the eighth inning, MacRunnels singled with two out and Davis, who walked three times in the game, was intentionally walked. Then Bolte hit a RBI single up the middle to score MacRunnels and give the Coyotes the extra inning victory. Allison Sempsis suffered the defeat for SDSU. Sempsis entered the game in the sixth in relief of Melissa Alleven, who had limited South Dakota to four hits and one run in five innings. Sempsis allowed one run and two hits in two and two-third innings.

Game 2 - USD 4, SDSU 0

Janice Alswager tossed an eight-hit shutout and had two RBI as South Dakota captured a 4-0 win in game two of the doubleheader with SDSU. Alswager walked one and struck out four in seven innings of work. She improved her record to 7-2 on the season.

South Dakota tallied single runs in the first, second, third, and sixth innings in the win. In the South Dakota first inning, Ellwanger reached base after the ball got away from the catcher on a strikeout. Alswager sacrificed Ellwanger to second before MacRunnels singled to move Ellwanger to third. Bolte and Davis walked which allowed Ellwanger to score the game's first run.

In the second inning, Aimee Mertens (Ham Lake, Minn.) walked with one out and advanced to second on a passed ball. One out later, Alswager singled up the middle, which scored Mertens.

Davis opened the third inning with a double to left field. Bolte singled up the middle to advance Davis to third who scored on a fielding error by SDSU.

South Dakota's final tally came in the sixth inning when Martinson singled to open the inning. Hedegaard pinch ran for Martinson and advanced to second on a passed ball. Hedegaard moved to third on a ground out by Mertens. After Ellwanger struck out, Alswager singled to second base, scoring Hedegaard and giving the Coyotes a 4-0 lead.

Alswager had two hits and two RBI while Ellwanger, MacRunnels, Davis, Bolte, Martinson and Tiffany Hopkins (Cannon Falls, Minn.) also had hits for South Dakota. The Coyotes totaled four runs on eight hits and one error. SDSU had no runs on eight hits and two errors. Kristen Krebs and Nikki Darwitz had two hits for SDSU.