MACOMB, Ill. – Landon Badger delivered the game-winning hit with the bases loaded in the top of the 12th inning and Austin Suhr pitched 3 2/3 dominant innings in relief to lift South Dakota State to a 6-3 victory over Western Illinois in the opening game of a three-game Summit League baseball series Friday afternoon at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.
The Jackrabbits picked up their rst league win in four tries and improved to 3-17 overall. WIU dropped to 3-14 overall and 2-2 in Summit League play.
Badger’s game-winning double to the right-center gap came on an 0-2 pitch and scored Skyler Wenninger and Logan Holtz. The throw back to the infield was errant, allowing Gus Steiger to scamper home with the third run on the play. Wenninger led off the inning with a single to left and Holtz was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by Ian Cote before Steiger was intentionally walked.
The game started out as a pitchers’ duel between SDSU’s Brady Moxham and the Leathernecks’ Ian Koch. Western Illinois scratched across a run in the bottom of the first, while the Jackrabbits answered with a run in the third as Tony Kjolsing singled, stole second and advanced to third on an error, and scored on Newt Johnson’s single up the middle.
The game remained deadlocked at 1 until the Jackrabbits broke through with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take a 3-1 lead. Steiger and Anthony Schneider each singled off Koch before Tony Kjolsing greeted reliever Alex Dorethy with a base hit to score Steiger.
In the eighth, Badger reached on an infield single to score Holtz. Badger matched a career high with three hits, while Holtz reached base safely five times via two hits, two walks and a hit by pitch.
SDSU out-hit Western Illinois, 13-7, with Schneider and Kjolsing also tallying a pair of hits for the Jackrabbits. Deion Thompson and C.J. Schaeffer each posted two hits for the Leathernecks.
Moxham settled into a groove, retiring 17 consecutive Leatherneck batters until tiring in the eighth. Western Illinois knotted the game at 3-all with a pair of runs as Schaeffer singled in the first run before the tying run scored on a wild pitch.
Suhr entered the game with the go-ahead run on third and one out in the eighth, but re- corded a strikeout and yout around a walk to keep the game tied at three. The junior right- hander then fanned two batters in each of the ninth, 10th and 11th innings to nish with seven strikeouts in earning his second win of the season.
Western Illinois loaded the bases on two hit batters and a single in the bottom of the 12th against SDSU reliever Korey Kuhlmann. Brett Mogen came on to record the final out for the save.
Moxham struck out seven and walked two in 7 1/3 innings, but did not factor in the decision. For WIU, Koch recorded eight strikeouts and walk three in 6 1/3 innings of work.
Up Next
Saturday’s scheduled game between the two squads has been moved to Sunday due to inclement weather in the forecast. SDSU and WIU now are slated to play a doubleheader starting at noon Sunday.
Notes
SDSU leads the all-time series 30-21. ... The Jackrabbits improved to 1-2 in extra-inning games this season. ... SDSU matched a season high with 15 strikeouts. ... The Jackrabbits stole a season-high four bases, including two by Newt Johnson and one by Tony Kjolsing, who upped his team-leading total to eight. ... Wenninger reached base safely for the 14th consecutive game, while Johnson extended his streak to 13 games. ... Moxham’s 7 1/3 innings pitched marked the longest outing by a Jackrabbit pitcher this season.
Photo from www.gojacks.com.
