LORMAN, Miss. - Nine different South Dakota State players notched at least two hits as the Jackrabbit baseball team ran its winning streak to three games with an 18-4 victory over Alcorn State Tuesday night in the opening game of a two-game series.
The Jackrabbits, who rapped out 24 hits and scored their most runs in a game since the 2010 season, improved to 7-3 overall. Alcorn State dropped to 2-12 overall.
SDSU took control from the outset as the first six batters reached safely. Zach Coppola and Daniel Marra walked to open the inning and reigning Summit League Player of the Week Andrew Melton delivered the first run of the game with a base hit. Nick Andrews followed with a run-scoring single and Paul Jacobson added an RBI single two batters later. The final run of the four-run first inning scored on a sacrifice fly by Reid Clary.
The Braves got a run back in the home half of the first before SDSU built the lead to 8-1 with two runs in both the second and third innings. Melton tripled in Marra with the first run of the second inning and later scored on an Andrews double. The Jackrabbit runs in the third inning scored on an error and double-play grounder.
Alcorn strung together three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly against Jackrabbit starter Kolton Emery in the bottom of the third to close to within 8-3.
SDSU sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the fifth, scoring six times. Melton, who was a home run shy of the cycle, doubled in two runs and Aaron Machbitz added a run-scoring single.
Melton was 3-for-5 with four runs batted in and three runs scored to lead the Jackrabbits' 24-hit attack. In all, 14 different players recorded at least one hit and 10 different Jackrabbits were credited with an RBI. SDSU hitters also drew eight bases on balls, including three each by Coppola and Marra.
Emery worked the first six innings, striking out two and walking one. He allowed three runs on six hits in improving to 2-0 on the season.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
18, ALCORN STATE (Miss.) 4
SDSU 422 061 030 18-24-0
ASU 102 000 001 4-9-7
SDSU: Kolton Emery, Aaron Klatt (7), Andrew Clemen (8), Kenton Welbig (9) and
Reid Clary, Sam Pack (7). ASU: Shane Brown, Joseph Camp (2), Terrence Stubbs
(5), Zach Muenster (8) and Angel Polo, Jared Listach (7).
W-Emery (2-0). L-Brown (0-1). Save-none.
HR: none.
