South Dakota State baseball improved their conference record to 9-8 this past weekend following a home series victory over the conference-leading St. Thomas Tommies.
The Jacks (17-20, 9-8 Summit) remain on the hunt for the regular season championship with a month to go before the Summit League tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“At this point, every game you’re playing for a regular season championship,” head coach Rob Bishop said. “There’s just not enough that separates the first four teams for sure.”
Game 1 (Saturday)
SDSU rallied back from a five-run deficit to take down the Tommies 9-5 in game one.
St. Thomas scored their first runs of the game in the second inning from a two-RBI double by catcher Max Morris and a three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning by right fielder Matthew Maulik.
The Jacks responded to the early St. Thomas lead with four consecutive innings resulting in runs scored, starting with Cael Frost knocking in two runs on a double in the bottom of the fifth.
The Jacks took advantage of multiple throwing errors in the sixth, scoring yet another run before tying the game in the seventh with another two-RBI double, this time by Bryce Ronken.
The Jacks took the lead in the eighth inning with a three-run home run by Dawson Parry, and another run off an RBI single from Davis Carr.
Jackrabbit hitters recorded nine hits, nine walks and four hit-by-pitches in the win.
Pitcher Alex Clemons came in and threw two shutout innings to close out the comeback victory.
Game 2 (Sunday, Game 1 of DH)
The Tommies tied the series at one apiece in the first half of Sunday’s doubleheader with the help of fifteen total hits and a nine-strikeout performance by starting pitcher Nick Esch.
Each of the nine batters in the UST order recorded a hit, but the scoring didn’t get going until the third inning with back-to-back RBI singles and an error scoring four runs.
Parry scored the first run for the Jacks in the bottom of the third with an RBI double, but UST continued to extend their lead with three more runs in the fifth inning.
It was back-and-forth scoring the rest of the way, though SDSU never got closer than a four-run deficit leading to an 11-6 loss.
South Dakota State’s Jake Goble took the loss on the mound, giving up seven hits, three walks, and five earned runs in just over four innings of work.
The 11-6 loss was the first loss of the season at Erv Huether Field this season for the Jacks.
Game 3 (Sunday, Game 2 of DH)
In the final game of the weekend, a late-game RBI sac-fly by Jordan Sagedahl pushed SDSU over the Tommies for the series victory.
Sagedahl went one for four in the game, but his one hit also resulted in his eighth home run of the season in the first inning.
The Tommies answered with a homer of their own the very next inning from the designated hitter Brigs Richartz.
In the third, the Jacks retook the lead off an RBI single from Ronken that plated Reece Anderson.
St. Thomas would get their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth via a ground out that scored one and a throwing error that tacked on their third run of the game.
But SDSU would continue to battle, tying the game in the very next half-inning on an RBI sac fly by Jess Bellows.
Tied at three heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Jacks got a runner on and over to third base before Sagedahl drove a ball deep enough into the outfield for the runner to score on the sac fly.
Up 4-3, Clemons would come in once again to close out and earn his second win of the weekend.
Three great outings on the mound helped the Jacks to victory. Owen Bishop started on the mound and gave up just one hit and one earned run in three innings of work.
Dylan Driessen relieved Owen Bishop and followed up with three hits and an earned run while throwing four strikeouts in under five innings while Clemons threw an inning and two-thirds of no-hit baseball while striking out three.
“Driessen and Clemons out of the bullpen were really, really good,” Rob Bishop said. “Those two guys were unbelievable, getting Owen [Bishop] back in the mix on the starting rotation, he threw three really good innings as well.”
SDSU also outhit the Tommies 12-4 in the final game of the series.
Up Next
South Dakota State will stay home next weekend to take on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in a three-game series starting Friday, first pitch is set for 3 p.m. Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at noon, while the series finale Sunday is at 1 p.m.