OMAHA, Neb. – Skyler Wenninger drove in a career-high four runs, including two in an eight-run sixth inning, as South Dakota State completed a Summit League series sweep of Omaha with a 13-4 victory Sunday afternoon at Isaacson Field.
The Jackrabbits improved to 9-7 overall and 3-0 in league play. Omaha dropped to 2-16 overall and 0-3 in The Summit League.
Omaha scored three times in the bottom of the first inning as the Mavericks took their first - and only - lead of the series. Cole Thibodeau led off with a single and later scored on Parker Smejkal's single up the middle. The other two Maverick runs scored on a pair of two-out hits - a triple by Cole Patterson and a single by Nate Mallott.
SDSU starter Tyler Olmstead would keep the Mavericks off the board the rest of his outing as he exited with one out in the fifth. The freshman right-hander struck out two and walked two while surrendering five hits - four of which came in the first inning. Bryce Hanson followed with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.
The Jackrabbits tied the game at 3-all with a three-run fourth inning. Newt Johnson started the rally with a single, moved to third on an error and scored on Anthony Schneider's base hit to left. Two batters later, Wenninger knotted the game with a double down the left-field line that scored both Matt Johnson and Schneider.
SDSU sent 14 men to the plate in the decisive sixth inning. Schneider walked to lead off the frame and, after the second Omaha error of the game, Phil Velez broke the deadlock with a two-run single to center and Nick Smith followed with a double to right-center that brought Velez home for a 6-3 lead. After the Jackrabbits' second out of the inning, the next six SDSU batters all singled, the last of whom was Wenninger, who plated two more runs to up the SDSU lead to 11-3.
Luke Ringhofer, Matt Johnson and Schneider also recorded RBIs in the string of hits.
Omaha ended the string of 11 consecutive runs with a run of its own in the eighth, but the Jackrabbits closed the scoring in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Newt Johnson and a run-scoring groundout by pinch-hitter Jake Thompson.
All nine starters for the Jackrabbits notched at least one hit. Ringhofer and Newt Johnson each tallied three of SDSU's 16 hits. Jack Kalina and Andrew Hall each posted two of Omaha's nine hits.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits are scheduled to play a non-conference game at Mount Marty on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. at Riverside Park in Yankton.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 13, OMAHA 4
SDSU 000 308 002 – 13 16 1
UNO 300 000 010 – 4 9 2
SDSU: Tyler Olmstead, Bryce Hanson (5), Quinn Reimers (7), Ethan Kenkel (8), Austin Kost (9) and Luke Ringhofer. UNO: Grant Suponchick, Shane Meltz (5), Brett Sasse (6), Nick Drahozal (6), David Flattery (7), James Smith (9) and Nate Mallott. W–Hanson (2-0). L–Meltz (0-2).
Saturday
• SDSU 15, UNO 0 (7 inn.)
Ryan Froom pitched a four-hit shutout and the SDSU offense scored runs in bunches as the Jackrabbits blanked Omaha in a game that was called after seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
For the second consecutive day, the Jackrabbits hung a crooked number on the board in the first inning, scoring three times. Matt Johnson singled home Josh Kunzmann and Luke Ringhofer with the first two runs, extending Johnson's hitting streak to 15 games in the process. Philip Jacobson followed two batters later with a run-scoring single that plated Newt Johnson.
Jacobson, who was 4-for-4 on the afternoon, added a run-scoring single in the third inning as the Jackrabbits again scored three times. Phil Velez notched a two-run single later in the frame to knock out Maverick starter Sam Murphy.
The rout continued with a five-run fourth inning that was aided by a balk, wild pitch and pair of Omaha errors. Newt Johnson recorded the first of his two runs batted in with a single through the left side that plated the first run of the inning.
Froom, meanwhile, cruised through the Omaha lineup to the tune of five strikeouts and only two walks. All four hits he allowed were singles as he improved to 3-1 on the season, surpassing his win total from last year.
SDSU capped the scoring with a four-run seventh. Newt Johnson doubled in one run on his third hit of the game, while Patrick Korman plated the final run with a sacrifice fly. Other runs scored on a groundout and wild pitch.
The Jackrabbits finished with a season-high 17 hits, including a 3-for-4 effort by Kunzmann.
After turning four double plays in the series opener Friday, SDSU recorded two more double plays on Saturday
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 15, OMAHA 0 (7 inn.)
SDSU 303 500 4 – 15 17 1
UNO 000 000 0 – 0 4 3
Ryan Froom and Luke Ringhofer; Sam Murphy, Eric Moreno (3), Cam Fowler (4), Cal Hehnke (7), Nick Lawson (7) and Nate Mallott, Adam Caniglia. W – Froom (3-1). L – Murphy (0-3). 2B: SDSU, Newt Johnson, Philip Jacobson.
