JACKRABBITS HANG ON TO DEFEAT UNC

Friday, April 15

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

12-16, 0

Northern Colorado

7-25, 0

South Dakota State

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/15/2022 7:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. — South Dakota State scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning and survived some anxious moments in the bottom of the frame to escape with an 8-7 victory in the opening game of a three-game Summit League baseball series Friday afternoon at Jackson Field.

In winning for the sixth time in their last seven games, the Jackrabbits improved to 12-16 overall and 6-4 in league play. UNC dropped to 7-25 overall and 4-6 in The Summit League.

Trailing 5-4 through seven innings, SDSU tied the game with a run in the eighth before taking the lead for good in the ninth. Henry George led off the eighth with a four-pitch walk, moved to third on an error and scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Colorado native Adam Benes.

Another leadoff walk, this one to Ryan McDonald, opened the door for the Jackrabbits in the ninth. Two batters later, Dawson Parry lined a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left field for a two-run home run that also plated pinch-runner Colton Cox. Two more walks later in the stanza to Derek Hackman and Drew Beazley set the stage for Benes, who drove in his second run in as many innings with a single to left field for an 8-5 lead.

Northern Colorado didn't go down without a fight, however, as Jacob Banister delivered a run-scoring single that chased Jackrabbit reliever Ryan Bourassa from the game. Bret Barnett then entered for SDSU and gave up a single and walk to the first two men he faced, allowing the Bears to draw to within 8-7 and load the bases with one out.

Barnett, however, continued his strikeout prowess by fanning the next two batters to close out the one-run victory. Barnett's save was his team-leading fifth of the season.

UNC grabbed a 3-0 lead with a three-run second inning on an RBI single by Jake King and a two-run homer by Shaydon Kubo off Jackrabbit starter Nic McCay.

SDSU tied the game behind the hitting of McDonald, who singled in the first Jackrabbit run of the game in the third inning before knotting the game at 3-all with his sixth home run of the season.

The Jackrabbits took their first lead of the game on Derek Hackman's third home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning, only to see UNC respond in the seventh with a two-run single by pinch-hitter Cameron Cromer.

UNC held a 12-10 advantage in hits, with Hayden Heinze and Garrett Fisher each tallying two hits. McDonald, Parry, Benes and Reece Anderson each posted two hits for SDSU.

Bourassa was credited with the win after tossing 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two. McCay went the first five innings and gave up three runs while striking out six and issuing two free passes.

UP NEXT
The two squads are scheduled to play the middle game of their series at noon Mountain Time (1 p.m. Central) on Saturday.

NOTES