MADISON. S.D.-- The 15th-ranked University of Jamestown softball team earned a pair of one-run victories Friday against Dakota State (S.D.) University, winning 9-8 and 1-0.
With the two wins, the Jimmies improve to 37-6 overall and 20-3 in the conference, and have won a season-high 13 straight and counting.
Heading into Saturday's action, UJ is three games ahead of second-place Valley City State (N.D.) University (16-5), with the Vikings beginning a four-game series against Mayville State (N.D.) The Jimmies wrap up the regular season against Viterbo (Wis.) Saturday, needing just one win or a Viking loss to clinch both the NSAA regular season championship and the top seed in the postseason conference tournament.
A six-run third inning in game one put UJ in front after Dakota State took a 2-0 lead early. Morgan Geiszler (FR/Horace, ND), Tifani Schorzman (SR/Coeur d'Alene, ID), Kassi Ward (FR/Olympia, WA), Sydney Prussia (FR/Detroit Lakes, MN), and Emma Keller (SR/Poulsbo, WA) all drove in runs as the Jimmies sent 10 batters to the plate in the frame.
The Trojans rallied to tie the game at 6, scoring four times in the bottom of the fourth. However, Jamestown answered with a pair of runs in the next half-inning, courtesy of Schorzman and Ward.
Geiszler singled home Keller in the seventh for an insurance run make it 9-6 heading to the bottom of the seventh. Down to their final three outs, DSU used a single and back-to-back doubles to make it a one-run game. Kat Miska (FR/Pequot Lakes, MN) then retired the next three hitters in order to end the rally and preserve the victory.
Jasmine Pipella (FR/Boissevain, MB) (9-2) earned the win for UJ, getting the final out of the fifth inning. Miska struck out five batters over the sixth and seventh innings for her second save.
Geiszler was 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Prussia had three hits while Keller, Schorzman, Mikayla Frost (SO/Melba, ID), and Miriah Yoder (JR/Devils Lake, ND) all finished with two.
"It's a funny game," said head coach Kevin Gall. "We pounded out 18 hits in game one, pitched pretty well, played pretty good defense, ran the bases well, and we hung on to win by one run."
In game two, Keller led off the game with a triple against Dakota State starter Stefani Gollin, then scored on Frost's ground out to short.
Miska and Gollin traded zeroes on the scoreboard for the next five-and-a-half innings. After getting two hits in the top of the first, UJ was held to just two hits over the final six innings. DSU (18-27, 12-14 NSAA) managed only two hits until the seventh.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Jasmin Lucero tripled to deep right centerfield. Miska struck out Audrey Kosman and got Taylor Poe to fly out to left field for the final two outs.
Miska went the distance in her seventh complete game and third shutout of the year, running her record to 12-1. She struck out nine and walked one. Gollin was the hard-luck loser for DSU, also pitching a complete game. She struck out two and scattered four hits.
Keller was 2-for-3 for the Jimmies. Geiszler and Meghan Ramage (JR/Grand Forks, ND) had Jamestown's other hits.
Jamestown plays its final regular-season doubleheader in Madison Saturday against Viterbo. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.
