Upcoming Event: Baseball at UTSA on February 13, 2026 at 4 p.m.
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4 p.m.
Baseball
at UTSA
South Dakota State University Athletics
Saturday, April 25
Macomb, Ill.
12 p.m.
South Dakota State University
16
at
13
Western Illinois
Jacks take pair from Western Illinois
4/25/2009 8:45:00 PM | Baseball
MACOMB, Ill. ? The South Dakota State University baseball team continued its offensive onslaught Saturday, scoring 30 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Western Illinois.
The Jackrabbits won the opener, 16-13, then posted a 14-7 victory in Game 2. SDSU, which won the series opener Friday, 19-11, ran its winning streak to five to improve to 13-25 overall and 6-8 in The Summit League.
Senior first baseman Stephen Turner was the hitting star of the day for the Jackrabbits, going 6-for-10 in the twinbill with three home runs, six runs scored and 10 runs batted in. Turner gave SDSU an early lead in Game 1 with a first-inning three-run home run.
After Turner delivered a run-scoring single in the third inning to give the Jackrabbits a 4-2 lead, WIU scored four runs in the bottom of the third and added two more in the fourth on a home run by Drew Laidig to go up 8-4.
SDSU then erupted for 10 runs in the top of the fifth, sending 13 batters to the plate. Three consecutive walks to open the inning loaded the bases, setting up a two-run single by Zach Briggs. Billy Stitz drove in three more runs with a triple and Turner capped the scoring in frame with his second three-run homer of the game, giving him seven RBI in the game.
The Leathernecks cut the margin to 14-10 on a two-run home run by Andrew Hagins in the sixth inning, but SDSU countered with a seventh-inning single by Beau Hanowski that scored a pair.
WIU put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the eighth, but Jackrabbit reliever Caleb Thielbar retired all four batters he faced to earn his first career save.
Jackrabbit starter Isaac Johnson was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst as he worked around seven walks and 10 runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings to win his third consecutive decision.
SDSU held a 14-12 advantage in hits. Jesse Sawyer, who had his home run streak end at five games, tallied two hits, as did Stitz and Tony Martin. Hagins was 5-for-5 for
In Game 2, the Jackrabbits scored in every inning but the fifth en route to the 14-7 victory.
Briggs opened the scoring with a two-run single in the top of the first, and Eric Cain added a run-scoring base hit.
SDSU scored a pair of unearned runs in the second inning, then built their lead to 6-3 when Briggs led off the third with a home run to left center. Turner added a two-run shot in the fourth.
John Lee got into the home run act in the sixth inning by leading off the frame with his fifth round-tripper of the season. SDSU would go on to score three more times as Turner doubled in a run, Cain delivered a sacrifice fly and Jesse Ayala drove in a run with a single.
Hagins closed the WIU scoring with a three-run home run in the sixth en route to a 3-for-4 effort at the plate in Game 2.
The Jackrabbits' final two runs crossed home plate in the seventh inning on a triple by Hanowski.
Sam Pieczynski, who started Friday's series opener, came on in relief and was credited with the victory. The junior right-hander worked the final three innings, striking out two and walking two. Layne Somsen started and threw the first three innings, recording three walks and three strikeouts.
Martin led the Jackrabbits at the plate by going 4-for-5 with four runs scored. Turner and Ayala each posted three hits.
The two teams are scheduled to play the series finale Sunday. First pitch is set for noon.
Notes: Through the first three games of the series, SDSU is hitting .434 with 11 home runs ... Turner is batting .433 (8-for-15) with four home runs, 14 RBI and seven runs scored in the series ... Martin leads the team with a .714 batting average (10-of-14) in the series and has scored eight times ... Thielbar has recorded eight strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings pitched in his two appearances at Western Illinois ... in posting a 6-1 record so far this week, SDSU has hit 23 home runs, including seven by Sawyer and five by Turner ... Trever Vermeulen has pitched in six of SDSU's last seven games ... the Jackrabbits will be in search of their second four-game sweep of a Summit League opponent since joining the league in 2008; SDSU swept Centenary (La.) in Omaha, Neb., to open Summit League play last April
GAME 1:
SDSU 301 0(10)0 200 16-14-0
WIU 204 202 030 13-12-3
SDSU: Isaac Johnson, Trever Vermeulen (6), Caleb Thielbar (8) and Zach Briggs, Tony Martin (5). WIU: John Sneegas, Chris Fuchs (5), Jordan Faller (6) and Cooper Stewart.
W-Johnson (3-1). L-Fuchs (0-6). SV-Thielbar (1).
HR: SDSU-Stephen Turner 2 (5); WIU-Andrew Hagins (7), Drew Laidig (4).
GAME 2:
SDSU 321 204 2 14-18-2
WIU 121 003 0 7-8-3
SDSU: Layne Somsen, Trever Vermeulen (4), Sam Pieczynski (5) and Zach Briggs, Tony Martin (4). WIU: Randon Lingle, Ryan Cheek (6) and Cooper Stewart.
W-Pieczynski (3-2). L-Lingle (1-1).
HR: SDSU-John Lee (5), Stephen Turner (6), Zach Briggs (3); WIU-Andrew Hagins (8).
Players Mentioned
IF
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C
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OF
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RHP
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C
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RHP
/ Baseball
IF
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RHP
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OF
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LHP
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1B
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RHP
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