Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Amanda Rivera Postgame Interview

INDIANAPOLIS – Playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season, the IUPUI softball team gave its fans a lot to cheer about as the Jags combined for 26 hits in two games leading to a doubleheader sweep over South Dakota State on the opening day of Summit League play.

The Jags picked up a 10-2 five-inning victory in the opening game, before coming back with a 12-0 win in five innings in Game 2. After going scoreless in the first inning in Game 1, the Jags managed to score two or more runs in the following eight innings.

“I just think we were aggressive and we were aggressive with good pitches,” head coach Amanda Rivera said. “I think we did a great job of hitting pitches that were up in the zone, which were balls that we could drive.”

Game 1 – IUPUI 10, South Dakota State 2
In the opener, both teams failed to score in the first before the Jackrabbits struck with a solo home run in the second to go in front, 1-0.

The Jags quickly responded in their half of the second inning. Jessica Lam started the frame off with a walk before moving into scoring position by stealing second base. With Lam on third and Eryn Dillon on second following a Dillon single and a Jackrabbits throwing error, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Angela Bartucci moved Dillon to third and scored Lam to knot the score at one. During the next at-bat, Dillon scored on a Jazmine Pedrotti single to give the Jags a 2-1 lead.

After giving up that run in the second, Cassie Vodde came back in the third and set down SDSU in order before getting further run support in the Jags half of the third.

In the bottom of the third inning, Alicia Brewer drilled a two-run home run with one out to move the lead to 4-1, and three batters later, a RBI single from Dillon scored Lam pushing the advantage to 5-1.

SDSU got one of those runs back in the fourth on a solo home run, but IUPUI got that run back and more in the bottom of the fourth on a two-RBI single from Lam.

Leading 7-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth, Pedrotti put the Jags one run away from picking up the five-inning win with a two-run homer to left field. Following a ground out, Kelsey Rupert drew a walk and then quickly scored on a hard-hit ball off the bat of Ali Mosier to secure the eight-run, five-inning victory for the Jags.

Dillon led IUPUI with three hits in the opener of the doubleheader, while Pedrotti paced the Jaguars with three RBI. Brewer and Lam also added two RBI apiece.

Vodde went 5.0 innings yielding four hits and two earned runs en route to improving to 5-1 on the season. The freshman from Columbia City, Ind. also struck out five.

Game 2 – IUPUI 12, South Dakota State 0
The offensive production for the Jags continued from Game 1 into Game 2 putting pressure on South Dakota State.

Nikki Thomas got the start for the Jags and got into a little trouble in the first with the Jackrabbits placing a runner in scoring position with one out, but after escaping the inning without giving up a run, the Jags offense gave Thomas plenty of runs to work with.

Lam started things off for IUPUI with a two-run homer in the first, her sixth of the season, before IUPUI tacked on three more runs in the second.

Bartucci led off the second with a walk and quickly found herself on third following a double from Pedrotti. Morgan Schlobohm came through with a RBI single to up the lead to 3-0, and with Pedrotti and third and Schlobohm on first during the next at-bat, a double steal attempt forced an errant throw from the SDSU catcher allowing Schlobohm to advance to second and Pedrotti to score as the cushion grew to 4-0. Later in the frame, a Mosier RBI single pushed the lead to 5-0.

RBI base hits from Bartucci, Schlobohm and Mosier in the third stretched the Jags advantage to 8-0, and following a 1-2-3 SDSU fourth, a pair of two-RBI doubles from Megan Cory and Rupert moved the lead to double-digits, 12-0.

In the fifth, Thomas gave up a lead-off walk prior to retiring the next three batters to close out the doubleheader sweep for the Jags.

Rupert was one of six Jags players to record multiple hits in Game 2, but she led the way going a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI.

In the circle, Thomas relinquished just one hit in five innings of work while striking out two as she improved to 2-3 on the season.

IUPUI looks for the three-game sweep over South Dakota State on Saturday, March 16. First pitch is set for Noon ET.