Recap | Hamilton's Walk-Off Leads Salukis to 4-3 Win Over South Dakota State

CONWAY, Ark. — With two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the seventh, Rylie Hamilton gave the Salukis their first lead of the game with a two-run walk-off home run for the Salukis' third-straight win and second walk-off victory in the last week.

Southern trailed for the entirety of the game after a costly error led to three runs in the first inning for South Dakota State. The Dawgs were able to get a pair back in the bottom half of the first on a two-run RBI single from Sidney Jones who got caught trying to stretch a double to end the inning.

The game remained stagnant from there after both defenses settled in behind solid pitching from both sides. Hanna Hockerman got the start and allowed a pair of earned runs on a home run in the first before getting three straight outs in the second as well as one strikeout. Freshmen Kiana McDowell and Maddia Groff took it from there after and would shut down the Jackrabbits offense. McDowell allowed just one hit in 1.1 innings of work before Groff came in for the three plus innings on her way to five strikeouts and no baserunners. With the win, Groff moves to 5-0 on the season.

Elizabeth Warwick had her first three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 including a leadoff double and a leadoff single in the seventh inning, sparking the Salukis comeback. After two quick outs, Rylie Hamilton stepped to the plate with a runner in scoring position. After battling off several pitches and working the count 2-2, Hamilton stepped out and a time was called by head coach Jen Sewell. Following a brief conversation, Hamilton returned to the box and would go on to belt a no-doubter over the left field wall and send the Salukis home with a win. The home run was Hamilton's first of the season and 15th of her career.

The Salukis are back in action Saturday, Feb. 24 for a doubleheader with Central Arkansas and Purdue beginning at 4 PM. SIU will take on host UCA first before rolling into a 6:30 start with Purdue to finish the day. The Salukis game at 4PM will be on ESPN+.

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