Jacks win, drop two on marathon baseball day

Saturday, May 5

Fargo, N.D.

noon

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

5/6/2007 7:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: SDSU Sports Info

FARGO, N.D. ? South Dakota State opened a marathon day of baseball by winning a suspended game, but North Dakota State closed out the series with a pair of one-run victories Sunday at Newman Outdoor Field.

The Jackrabbits claimed the suspended game, 9-1, while NDSU swept Sunday's scheduled doubleheader by scores of 6-5 and 3-2. NDSU, which won three of four games in the weekend series, improved to 11-24. The Jackrabbits dropped to 25-18 on the season.

Play resumed shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday with SDSU leading 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, after play was suspended due to rain Saturday afternoon.

SDSU broke open the game with a six-run seventh inning. Nick Adams opened the scoring with an RBI single. Craig Parry, Korby Mintken and Jake Rogers also delivered run-scoring hits in the inning, with Mintken's hit a triple to left center. The other two Jackrabbit runs scored on an error and RBI groundout.

The Jackrabbits added a run in the eighth as Cal Lewis tripled with two outs and scored on Parry's second hit of the game.

SDSU had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Saturday on a run-scoring single by Adams. After NDSU tied the game with an unearned run in the bottom of the first, the Jackrabbits regained the lead for good against Bison starter Jake Laber in the fourth, when Mintken walked to lead off the frame and later scored on a wild pitch.

Kirby Morsching was credited with the victory after pitching four scoreless innings of relief, dropping his earned run average to a team-best 2.33. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.

Adams and Rogers each had three of SDSU's 15 hits. Lewis, Parry, Mintken and Tim Hanigan tallied two hits apiece.

In regular action on Sunday, Kole Zimmerman capped a two-out rally with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Bison a 6-5 victory in the opening game of the doubleheader. Zimmerman's base hit came off Jackrabbit reliever Kevin Morsching, who suffered his second loss of the season.

SDSU had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of two Bison errors. The Jackrabbits led 3-1 before the Bison took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third inning.

Bison starter Ben Mathiason worked eight innings, not allowing an earned run. He scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out four. Matt Mossey pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the series and the season.

In the finale, Zimmerman again delivered the big hit for NDSU, doubling to left field to score two in the bottom of the sixth to give the Bison a 3-1 lead.

SDSU put together a two-out rally in the seventh and final inning, but came up a run short. Mintken singled with two outs, moved to third on a Rogers double and scored on a wild pitch. Mossey, who earned the victory in relief, struck out Hanigan to end the game.

NDSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Ryan Langlais solo home run against Jackrabbit starter Isaac Johnson.

SDSU tied it in the fifth inning on a fielders choice off the bat of Rogers that scored Tony Martin.

Jacob Kougl, who started the sixth inning, took the loss for the Jackrabbits, falling to 0-2. Johnson, who was making just his second start of the season for SDSU, struck out one, walked two and allowed just two hits in five innings of work.

Matt Bowar and Mossey combined to strike out six SDSU batters and limited the Jackrabbits to five hits. No player for either team had more than one hit.

SDSU is scheduled to play an exhibition game Tuesday night against the minor league Sioux Falls Canaries. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Sioux Falls Stadium. The Jackrabbits will then play their lone series of the season in Brookings, hosting IPFW Saturday and Sunday at Bob Shelden Field. Saturday's doubleheader is set for a noon start.

SDSU 9, North Dakota State 1

SDSU 100 100 610 9-15-2

NDSU 100 000 000 1-7-1

SDSU: Caleb Thielbar, Erik Bess (5), Kirby Morsching (6) and Tony Martin. NDSU: Jake Laber, Shannon Ekermans (5), Jeff Kyllo (7) and Gavin Hofer.

W ? Morsching (2-2). L ? Laber (4-4).

Game 1 Sunday: North Dakota State 6, SDSU 5

SDSU 021 000 200 5-8-0

NDSU 103 000 20x 6-11-5

SDSU: Mike Robinson, Kevin Morsching (4), Jake Angier (7) and Tony Martin. NDSU: Ben Mathiason, Matt Mossey (9) and Kole Zimmerman.

W ? Mathiason (2-3). L ? Morsching (4-2). Save ? Mossey (2).

Game 2: Sunday: North Dakota State 3, SDSU 2

SDSU 000 010 1 2-5-2