Jacks split, but win independent tourney

Friday, May 25

Orem, Utah

12:30 p.m. MT

South Dakota State University

NJIT

5/25/2007 7:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: SDSU Sports Info

OREM, Utah ? South Dakota State's bid to end the Division I Independent Baseball Tournament undefeated came up just short as the Jackrabbits dropped a 7-4 decision to NJIT in the season finale Friday afternoon.

The Jackrabbits, who defeated Northern Colorado 11-6 earlier in the day, ended their season with a 34-19 overall record, including a 3-1 mark in tournament play. Based on tie-breaking criteria, SDSU was declared the tournament champion after both the Jackrabbits and host Utah Valley State finished with 3-1 records. The Jackrabbits held a plus-30 run differential against common opponents, while UVSC recorded a plus-16 run differential.

Game 1: SDSU 11, UNC 6 In the opener, co-tournament MVP Craig Parry went 4-for-4 with a double, home run and three runs batted in to lead South Dakota State to the victory over UNC, which dropped to 15-35 overall after losing all six meetings this season to the Jackrabbits.

Parry put SDSU on the board in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run ? his seventh of the season ? to lead off the frame.

After UNC tied the game in the third inning on an RBI double by Kevin Sandberg, the Jackrabbits grabbed the lead for good with a four-run fourth inning. Parry doubled in Cal Lewis with the first run and later scored on Chris Iverson's sacrifice fly. Two batters later, Jake Rogers hit a two-run homer, his 10th of the season.

The Bears got a run back in the top of the fifth on the first of two John Ray solo homers, but SDSU extended its lead to 8-2 with run-scoring hits by Nick Adams, Cal Lewis and Tim Hanigan.

Parry added a run-scoring single in the eighth inning, then came around to score on a double by Iverson.

SDSU's 3-6 hitters in the order accounted for 12 of SDSU's 17 hits. Besides Parry's 4-for-4 effort, Lewis and Adams each tallied three hits and Tyson Fisher added a pair of hits to raise his batting average to .396. In addition, Rogers and Hanigan each tallied two hits.

Kirby Morsching worked around six hits and four walks to allow only two runs in five innings of work, improving to 4-2 on the season. Kevin Morsching, Erik Bess and Issac Johnson all threw in relief to secure the victory. Johnson struck out the side in the ninth inning.

T.R. Keating took the loss for UNC, allowing eight runs and nine hits over four-plus innings.

The Bears stranded 13 runners, compared to seven by the Jackrabbits.

Game 2: NJIT 7, SDSU 4 NJIT left-hander P.J. Saporito kept the Jackrabbit bats in check for much of the game, pitching 8 1/3 strong innings to lift the Highlanders to a 7-4 victory over SDSU.

SDSU rallied in the ninth inning and had the tying run at the plate before Cory Kuzmik retired the final two batters to earn the save.

The Highlanders drew first blood against Jackrabbit starter Caleb Thielbar, scoring twice in the first inning on an RBI double by Kwesi Mitchell and a base hit by Mike Turner.

The Jackrabbits countered with a run in the second. Parry doubled with two outs and came around to score on a base hit by Tony Martin.

Two two-out errors by the Jackrabbits proved costly in the fourth inning as NJIT extended its lead to 4-1 on a two-run double by Miguel Lugo. After SDSU scored a run in the sixth, the Highlanders put the game out of reach with a run in home half of the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Lewis led off the Jackrabbit ninth with a home run, his team-leading 16th of the season, and two more Jackrabbits reached before Kuzmik entered the game. Rogers contributed a sacrifice fly for the final tally before Kuzmik got Korby Mintken, representing the tying run, to fly out to end the game.

Martin and Lewis each went 3-for-4 to lead SDSU's 11-hit attack. Hanigan added a pair of hits.

Saporito struck out six and walked only one as he evened his record at 5-5.

Rogers, Martin and pitcher Matt Bowman also were named to the all-tournament team for SDSU.