South Dakota State opened its 2002 baseball season by sweeping a non-conference doubleheader from Dakota Wesleyan Sunday at Parkston.

Four Jackrabbit pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout as the Jacks won the opener 8-0, then State took the nitecap 5-3.

In the opener, SDSU went ahead 1-0 in the third inning when Matt Hanson reached base on an error, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on an error.

The Jacks added another run in the fourth when Noah Hummel walked, went to second on bunt, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a single by Hanson.

Then SDSU broke it open with a five-run fifth. Four of the runs were unearned as SDSU had just two hits in the inning, a leadoff single by Chris Studer and an RBI sinble by Hummel.

SDSU’s final run came in the sixth when Kerry Jacobson doubled and scored on a single by Greg Geary.

In the nitecap, SDSU took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Studer and Ryan Hansen each walked and moved up on a wild pitch. Studer scored on an infield ground out and Hansen came home on a single by Hummel.

After DWU scored in the fifth to make it 2-1, the Jacks got two more in the top of the sixth. Jacobson and Hansen walked to start the rally. Jacobson stole third, and scored on a squeeze bunt by Hummel.

DWU got two more runs in the bottom of the inning, but the Jacks scored a single run in the top of the seventh. Hanson walked, was sacrificed to second by Sauter and scored on a double by Studer. Ryan Sauter, who pitched the last two innings, got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh by getting a pop up to third and a strikeout to end the game.

SDSU’s next scheduled games will be at the Missouri Southern Invitational in Joplin, Mo., March 10 to 15.