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
Friday, May 1
Huether Field
2 p.m.
South Dakota State University
15
vs
6
Oakland (Mich.)
SDSU takes series opener from Oakland
5/1/2009 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
South Dakota State got the bats going in the late innings, posting a 15-6 victory over Oakland (Mich.) Friday afternoon in the opening game of a four-game Summit League series.
Trailing 5-3, the Jackrabbits scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning, added two runs in the seventh and broke the game open with a six-run eighth inning en route to their fifth consecutive league win. SDSU improved to 15-26 overall and maintained its fourth-place spot in the league standings at 8-8.
Oakland dropped to 16-24 overall, 7-10 in The Summit League.
The Golden Grizzlies scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning and went up 2-0 on a Justin Wilson solo home run off SDSU starter Sam Pieczynski in the third.
SDSU tied the game at 2-all in the home half of the third. Joel Blake led off the inning with a double and scored when Stephen Turner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Eric Cain plated the tying run with a single to center field that scored John Lee.
The Jackrabbits took their first lead of the game in the fourth inning as Lee doubled in Jesse Ayala. A senior from Missoula, Mont., Ayala extended his hitting streak to 11 with a double to lead off the frame.
Oakland grabbed a momentary 5-3 advantage with a three-run sixth inning against Jackrabbit reliever Mike Robinson. Tim Ryan singled through the right side to score the first run, and catcher Ryan Waldhart lined a double just inside the right-field line to score two more.
SDSU scored all four of its sixth-inning runs with two outs. Blake started the rally with a double to right center to chase Golden Grizzly starter Matt LaMothe from the game. With the bases loaded, Tony Martin lined a single to left field that scored Blake and John Lee, and Jesse Sawyer also scored on the play as the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Martin came around to score on a double by Turner.
Blake accounted for the bulk of the remainder of the Jackrabbit scoring the rest of the way, hitting a two-run home run in the seventh and adding a grand slam in the eighth. Ayala added an RBI single in the eighth, and Martin drove in the final run with a double.
Blake ended the game 4-for-6 with six runs batted in and four runs scored. As a team, the Jackrabbits tied a season high with 21 hits. Cain was 3-for-3, while Sawyer and Martin each added three hits.
Andrew Stafford, Dan Ryan and Tim Ryan each collected two of Oakland's 10 hits.
Robinson was credited with the victory in relief after working three innings. The junior left-hander struck out four and walked two, while surrendering three runs and five hits.
Caleb Thielbar pitched two scoreless innings before Austin Busse allowed the final OU run in the ninth.
Jake Arendsen, who did not retire any of the three batters he faced in the sixth inning, was saddled with the loss for Oakland.
The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader Saturday, starting at noon at Erv Huether Field.
NOTES: SDSU set a season high with seven doubles ... Blake has been a terror at the plate the last two Fridays, combining to go 8-for-13 with five home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI and seven runs scored in games against Western Illinois and Oakland ... the Jackrabbits improved to 4-16 when the opponent scores first ... SDSU is 13-2 this season when leading after six innings ... the Jackrabbits are 10-0 when hitting two or more home runs in a game ... during their five-game Summit League winning streak, the Jackrabbits have scored double figures in every game and have outscored their opponents, 80-44 ... Robinson leads the team in victories with four ... in its last three Summit League series openers, SDSU has scored 53 runs (19 vs. North Dakota State, 19 at Western Illinois and 15 vs. Oakland) ... diving catches by Turner at first base and Beau Hanowski in left field for the final two outs of the seventh inning kept Oakland off the board ... Oakland's Tim Ryan had his streak of consecutive successful stolen-base attempts end at 16 when he was thrown out by Zach Briggs to end the second inning
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 15, OAKLAND 6
OU 101 003 001 6-10-1
SDSU 002 104 26X 15-21-1
OU: Matt LaMothe, Jake Arendsen (6), Shane McCatty (6), Andrew Estes (8), D.J. Jarrad (8) and Ryan Waldhart, John Estes (8). SDSU: Sam Pieczynski, Mike Robinson (4), Caleb Thielbar (7), Austin Busse (9) and Zach Briggs, Tony Martin (6).
W-Robinson (4-3). L-Arendsen (0-2).
HR: OU-Justin Wilson (10); SDSU-Joel Blake 2 (8).
Trailing 5-3, the Jackrabbits scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning, added two runs in the seventh and broke the game open with a six-run eighth inning en route to their fifth consecutive league win. SDSU improved to 15-26 overall and maintained its fourth-place spot in the league standings at 8-8.
Oakland dropped to 16-24 overall, 7-10 in The Summit League.
The Golden Grizzlies scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning and went up 2-0 on a Justin Wilson solo home run off SDSU starter Sam Pieczynski in the third.
SDSU tied the game at 2-all in the home half of the third. Joel Blake led off the inning with a double and scored when Stephen Turner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Eric Cain plated the tying run with a single to center field that scored John Lee.
The Jackrabbits took their first lead of the game in the fourth inning as Lee doubled in Jesse Ayala. A senior from Missoula, Mont., Ayala extended his hitting streak to 11 with a double to lead off the frame.
Oakland grabbed a momentary 5-3 advantage with a three-run sixth inning against Jackrabbit reliever Mike Robinson. Tim Ryan singled through the right side to score the first run, and catcher Ryan Waldhart lined a double just inside the right-field line to score two more.
SDSU scored all four of its sixth-inning runs with two outs. Blake started the rally with a double to right center to chase Golden Grizzly starter Matt LaMothe from the game. With the bases loaded, Tony Martin lined a single to left field that scored Blake and John Lee, and Jesse Sawyer also scored on the play as the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Martin came around to score on a double by Turner.
Blake accounted for the bulk of the remainder of the Jackrabbit scoring the rest of the way, hitting a two-run home run in the seventh and adding a grand slam in the eighth. Ayala added an RBI single in the eighth, and Martin drove in the final run with a double.
Blake ended the game 4-for-6 with six runs batted in and four runs scored. As a team, the Jackrabbits tied a season high with 21 hits. Cain was 3-for-3, while Sawyer and Martin each added three hits.
Andrew Stafford, Dan Ryan and Tim Ryan each collected two of Oakland's 10 hits.
Robinson was credited with the victory in relief after working three innings. The junior left-hander struck out four and walked two, while surrendering three runs and five hits.
Caleb Thielbar pitched two scoreless innings before Austin Busse allowed the final OU run in the ninth.
Jake Arendsen, who did not retire any of the three batters he faced in the sixth inning, was saddled with the loss for Oakland.
The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader Saturday, starting at noon at Erv Huether Field.
NOTES: SDSU set a season high with seven doubles ... Blake has been a terror at the plate the last two Fridays, combining to go 8-for-13 with five home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI and seven runs scored in games against Western Illinois and Oakland ... the Jackrabbits improved to 4-16 when the opponent scores first ... SDSU is 13-2 this season when leading after six innings ... the Jackrabbits are 10-0 when hitting two or more home runs in a game ... during their five-game Summit League winning streak, the Jackrabbits have scored double figures in every game and have outscored their opponents, 80-44 ... Robinson leads the team in victories with four ... in its last three Summit League series openers, SDSU has scored 53 runs (19 vs. North Dakota State, 19 at Western Illinois and 15 vs. Oakland) ... diving catches by Turner at first base and Beau Hanowski in left field for the final two outs of the seventh inning kept Oakland off the board ... Oakland's Tim Ryan had his streak of consecutive successful stolen-base attempts end at 16 when he was thrown out by Zach Briggs to end the second inning
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 15, OAKLAND 6
OU 101 003 001 6-10-1
SDSU 002 104 26X 15-21-1
OU: Matt LaMothe, Jake Arendsen (6), Shane McCatty (6), Andrew Estes (8), D.J. Jarrad (8) and Ryan Waldhart, John Estes (8). SDSU: Sam Pieczynski, Mike Robinson (4), Caleb Thielbar (7), Austin Busse (9) and Zach Briggs, Tony Martin (6).
W-Robinson (4-3). L-Arendsen (0-2).
HR: OU-Justin Wilson (10); SDSU-Joel Blake 2 (8).
Players Mentioned
IF
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UTIL
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C
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OF
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C
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RHP
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IF
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LHP
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