AMES, Iowa - The South Dakota State softball team opened the 2013 season on Friday with a 5-3 loss to North Dakota at the Cyclone Invitational in Ames, Iowa.
"I thought we played well. We did a great job of getting runners on base. We just need to continue to execute when we are in those situations," head coach Kim Aggabao said. "There were a lot of good things to build off for tomorrow."
Senior Devon Reick opened the game with the first of her three hits on the day, but a fielder's choice and a double play kept the Jacks off the board.
Marlee Petersen got the Jacks on the board with a leadoff homerun to start the third inning, but North Dakota made the most of two Jackrabbit miscues to score a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead.
SDSU got one back in the top of the fourth inning on an Alex Landon RBI single to tie the game at 2-2, only to see UND plate three runs in the bottom half if the fourth to take the lead for good at 5-2.
Samantha Terry knocked in the Jacks third run of the game in the top of the seventh, but the Jacks left the bases full, thus ending the game.
Kori Seidlitz went the distance for the Jacks in the circle, surrendering five runs, three earned, on four hits, with five walks and seven strikeouts.
The Jackrabbits look to crack the win column on Saturday at 9 a.m., against Northern Colorado, and then take on the host Iowa State Cyclones at 1 p.m.
