FARGO, N.D. – An appropriate debut for the Jags carrying their first-ever top-seed in the Summit League Tournament, the IUPUI softball team (22-27, 11-6) had multiple heroes emerge from their lineup, as the team mounted an 11-10 walk-off victory that sent the Jags into the next round.  The Jags move to 1-0 in the double elimination round, and will play again Friday (May 12) at 2 p.m. EST.
 
Five Jags had multi-hit games and seven picked up hits as the offense was enormous in fighting back.  No bat was timelier than Mandy Dallas, as the freshman went 3-for-4 with two homeruns and four RBIs.  One of her big flies tied the game in the bottom of the seventh.  Taylor Chitwood was 2-for-4 with a two-run homerun, while Roni Patterson delivered the game's biggest hit, smashing a walk-off knock to the right field fence while finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs.  Delaney Thompson and Maggie Armstrong both had two hits each and combined for three RBIs, while McKenzie Loge and Alyssa Matson recorded a hit. 
 
A quiet first inning led to a pair of runs in the top half of the second for South Dakota, as IUPUI saw an early deficit.  The team would answer with a fury in the bottom of the third, as the Jags struck for seven runs on four hits.  Loge reached base on a walk, then came home to score on a big fly from Chitwood to tie the game.  Maggie Good was hit by a pitch, one of three free passes on the day, followed by a single from Armstrong to put two on.  Thompson came through with a run-scoring single, as the Jags claimed their first lead.  Dallas then came up and cleared the bases with a three-run homer down the left field line that seemingly cleared the fence by a mile.
 
With a 7-2 lead, the Coyotes came clawing back, scoring two runs in the fourth before piling on with four in the fifth.  They'd add two more in the sixth inning, but a game-changing jumping catch by Loge in left field at the wall saved a homerun, as the Jags got their opportunity to come back.  With a 7-10 deficit, Matson and Patterson hit back-to-back doubles to add a run, followed by a single from Armstrong that scored the senior backstop from second. 
 
After trimming it to a one-run game, Erica Tharp came in and pitched a single inning, surrendering just a single to give the Jags a chance in the bottom half.  They'd take advantage, as Dallas hit a leadoff homerun to immediately tie the affair at 10-10.  Loge singled, followed by a fielder's choice that left a runner at first base.  Chitwood then singled and advanced on a fielding error, giving the Jags runners at second and third with two outs.  With a full count and needing something magical, Patterson hit perhaps the biggest knock of her life, a long single that pinged off the right field fence and fell in, giving the Jags the walk-off RBI they needed to avoid extra innings.
 
The Jags will await their next opponent, as they'll face the winner of No. 2 North Dakota State and No. 3 Western Illinois. 
 
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