Box Score

OMAHA, NEB.: Freshman Alina Honken pitched five innings in her first career appearance to help lead Southwest Minnesota State to a 4-3 victory in eight innings over the University of South Dakota on Saturday at the Nebraska-Omaha Classic in Omaha, Neb.

Honken tossed five innings for the Mustangs, allowing three runs--just one earned--with four strikeouts.  Amanda Johnson (8-2) earned the victory with three shutout innings of relief as she struck out five batters.

Erin Dickhausen led SMSU with two hits, including her third triple of the season in the first inning.  It was her third of the season and 20th of her career, breaking the SMSU all-time triples record.  Lynnette Zinkula (1990-91) held the previous record with 19.

SMSU took a 1-0 lead in the third as Andrea Fennern scored on a wild pitch after she reached on a one-out single.  Southwest led 3-0 after the top of the fourth when Amanda Tucci hit her team-leading third home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center that scored Amanda Burkhart.

The Coyotes got two unearned runs back in the bottom of the fourth as SMSU committed two errors.

Honken allowed a leadoff double and a wild pitch to start the sixth, before coming out of the game.  Johnson got a ground out to catcher Dickhausen before USD's leadoff batter scored on another ground out to tie the game at 3-3.

Southwest took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth.  Jessica Paczosa was placed on second to start the inning because of the international tiebreaker rule.  Meaghan Laetsch advanced her to third on a sacrifice bunt.  After Dickhausen reached on an infield single, Burkhart hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Paczosa and give SMSU the lead.