College Softball: Bison Take Two from Jacks

Leddy and Sertic hold SDSU to seven hits in double header.

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Athletics) –North Dakota State pitchers Jacquelyn Sertic and KK Leddy combined to limit South Dakota State to seven hits as the Bison defeated the Jackrabbits 9-3 and 3-1 to sweep a Summit League softball doubleheader played Saturday, April 29, before 147 spectators at the Ellig Sports Complex.

NDSU (9-5 SL, 22-28) and South Dakota State (4-10 SL, 17-32) are scheduled to close out the Summit League three-game series at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 30, at the Ellig Sports Complex.

Leddy, a sophomore right-hander from Middleburg, Fla., fashioned a three-hitter in the second game to record the complete game win. Leddy struck out seven and issued no walks to improve to 5-1 in league play and 8-8 overall. She received help on defense from third baseman Julia Luciano and left fielder Stephanie Soriano.

North Dakota State took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Montana DeCamp and Luciano delivered back-to-back two-out singles to push two runs across the plate.

South Dakota State cut the deficit to 2-1 in the top of the third inning on Abbey Murphy’s lead-off home run to right center. Murphy had two of the three hits for the Jackrabbits.

Madison Hope (0-7) and the SDSU defense kept things close. The Jackrabbits turned three double plays to end NDSU threats in the second, third and fourth innings. Hope scattered six hits, struck out one and walked one.

North Dakota State extended the lead to 3-1 when Bre Beatty lined a solo home run over the left field fence with one out in the sixth inning. It was Beatty’s third home run of the season. Stavrou had two hits to pace the Bison.

Eight of nine starters had at least one hit as NDSU matched a season-high with 14 hits in the first game win. The Bison jumped out in front 2-0 in the first inning. Vanessa Anderson sharply lined a RBI single to right center to score Stavrou. Anderson then scored from second on a DeCamp single to the second baseman. Stavrou and DeCamp each had three hits.

North Dakota State sent 10 batters to the plate in the second and erupted for five runs to extend the lead to 7-0. Stavou started things with a RBI single to center, then Beatty laced a two-run double to center and Luciano followed with a two-run single up the middle.

South Dakota State battled back to cut the lead to 7-2 in the top of the third inning when Yaney Ponce smacked a two-run home run to right center.

NDSU tacked on single-runs in the fourth and fifth innings to make it 9-2 on Dani Renner’s RBI single and DeCamp sacrifice fly. Renner and Beatty both had two hits.

SDSU close out the scoring with Julia Andersen’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Sertic, a junior righty from Sparks, Nev., struck out 10 and walked two to improve to 14-20. She reached double-figure strikeouts for the 10th time this season and 16th time in her career.

Ashlyn Bender (9-12) and Katie Lang pitched for South Dakota State with Bender taking the loss. Lang limited the Bison to four hits and two runs over the final 4.1 innings.