TULSA, Okla. – South Dakota State relief pitchers combined to allow only one run over the final 7 1/3 innings, while the offense heated up late in the game as the Jackrabbits staved off elimination at the Summit League Baseball Championship Thursday with a 9-5, come-from-behind victory over Western Illinois.
With the win, SDSU improved to 28-21 overall and moves on to face either Oral Roberts or Omaha in another elimination game at 2:30 p.m. today. The winner of the ORU-Omaha game, which begins at 11 a.m., will move on to Saturday’s championship, while the loser will face the Jackrabbits. Second-seeded SDSU opened tournament play earlier in the day with a 5-2 loss to host and third-seeded Oral Roberts.
Western Illinois, which had its season end with a 22-31 record, jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings with a pair of two-run frames against Jackrabbit starter Nic McCay. The Leathernecks’ first run in the opening inning scored on a wild pitch before Deion Thompson hit a solo home run to left-center field.
The Leathernecks knocked out McCay in the bottom of the second, scoring on a groundout and bases-loaded walk to C.J. Schaeffer Jr. McCay walked four, allowed four hits and struck out two in his first postseason start.
SDSU head coach Rob Bishop made the crucial decision to try to stem the tide with All-Summit League closer Bret Barnett. The sophomore left-hander answered the bell by striking out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
Meanwhile, the Jackrabbits began to chip away, starting with a run in the top of the third. Luke Ira led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and took third on a flyout. Ira later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Drew Beazley.
Brett Mogen followed with three shutout frames out of the bullpen after working out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam he inherited in the bottom of the fifth. Mogen, making his second appearance of the day, struck out a season-high five batters and became the pitcher of record for SDSU after the Jackrabbits tied the game with a three-run seventh inning and took the lead with a five-run top of the eighth.
Landon Badger started both rallies as SDSU batted around in both frames. In the seventh, Badger drew a leadoff walk and scored on Beazley’s double to right. Beazley later scored on a groundout to pull to within 4-3. Braeden Brown came through with the game-tying hit, a single to right-center field that plated Gus Steiger.
Badger led off the decisive eighth inning with the first of five Jackrabbit hits in the inning, a single to right. Nick Smith put runners at the corners with his fourth hit of the game, a single to right. Badger scored the go-ahead run on a balk and Smith later came across on a single to right by Steiger. The Jackrabbits then perfectly executed a double steal with Braeden Brown on the front end and Steiger scoring from third on the back end for a 7-4 lead.
Derek Hackman capped the five-run top of the eighth with a two-run double to score both Brown and Matthew Krambeck.
Western Illinois got a run back in the bottom of the eighth on a Drue Galassi solo home run, but Austin Suhr and Beazley combined to record the final six outs to secure the victory.
Smith was 4-for-5 and Hackman added two hits to pace the Jackrabbits’ 12-hit attack. Eight of SDSU’s hits came in either the seventh or eighth inning.
Four different players collected two hits apiece for Western Illinois, which also tallied 12 hits as a team.
Leatherneck starter Jace Warkentien struck out four and walked five over 6 1/3 innings in finishing with a no-decision.
Notes: SDSU has won at least one game at the Summit League Baseball Championship in all 10 of its tournament appearances. They Jackrabbits have a 17-18 record in the event. ... Beazley has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 9, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5
SDSU 001 000 350 – 9 12 1
WIU 220 000 010 – 5 12 0
Nic McCay, Bret Barnett (2), Alex Marro (5), Brett Mogen (5), Austin Suhr (8), Drew Beazley (9) and Derek Hackman, Ian Cote (9); Jace Warkentien, Austin Emanuel (7), Connor Rektorski (8), Jordan Cheek (9) and CJ Schaeffer Jr. W – Mogen (1-1). L – Rektorski (1-1). 2B: SDSU, Drew Beazley, Hackman. HR: WIU, Drue Galassi, Deion Thompson.
• Oral Roberts 5, SDSU 2
Summit League Player of the Year Spencer Henson hit a pair of solo home runs, including the go-ahead blast in the top of the fifth inning, and came on in relief to record the final out of game in leading Oral Roberts to a 5-2 victory over South Dakota State Thursday in the opening round.
ORU, which received an eight-inning performance from Josh McMinn, improved to 27-24 and will meet top-seeded Omaha at 11 a.m. today.
Sophomore catcher Derek Hackman gave the Jackrabbits the early lead in the bottom of the second inning, tucking an opposite-field line drive just over the fence and inside the left-field foul pole for a two-run homer, scoring Luke Ira ahead of him. It was Hackman’s second home run of the season.
ORU battled back with runs in each of the next three innings against SDSU starter Tyler Olmstead, all on solo home runs. Henson connected on his first home run in the top of the third, while Isaac Coffey added a blast to tie the game in the fourth.
Henson’s second home run of the game and 19th of the season, to the left of the batter’s eye in center field, came on the first pitch of his at-bat in the fifth inning.
The Jackrabbits put together a two-out threat in the fourth inning, loading the bases on an infield single by Ira and consecutive walks to Hackman and Landon Badger. However, McMinn recorded one of his 10 strikeouts in the contest to end the inning.
McMinn settled in from there, retiring eight of nine batters in one stretch en route to his seventh win of the season. He scattered seven hits and worked around four walks.
The Golden Eagles tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Riley Keizor drew a bases-loaded walk to force in one run and Andrew Pace plated the other run with a sacrifice fly.
SDSU brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in each of the final two innings, but was unable to come up with a clutch hit. Henson entered to pitch for ORU with two men on in the ninth, inducing a groundout to third off the bat of Gus Steiger to end the game.
The Jackrabbits, who out-hit ORU by an 8-7 count, stranded 10 men on base in the game. Ira and Badger each tallied two hits for SDSU.
Olmstead took the loss after striking out four, walking two and hitting two batters in 6 1/3 innings.
Notes: Hackman’s other home run this season came on Opening Day (Feb. 15 versus UT Martin).
ORAL ROBERTS 5, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 2
ORU 001 110 200 – 5 7 0
SDSU 020 000 000 – 2 8 0
Josh McMinn, Hunter Swift (9), Spencer Henson (9) and Riley Keizor; Tyler Olmstead, Brady Moxham (7), Brett Mogen (7), Austin Suhr (9) and Derek Hackman. W – McMinn (7-5). L – Olmstead (4-4). Sv – Henson (7). 2B: SDSU, Luke Ira. HR: ORU, Henson 2, Isaac Coffey; SDSU, Hackman.
