SDSU posts shutout in regular season finale

Saturday, May 16

Huether Field

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Southern Utah

5/16/2009 3:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: SDSU Sports Info

BROOKINGS, S.D. ? Three South Dakota State pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout and Jesse Sawyer hit his school-record 18th home run of the season as the Jackrabbit baseball team closed out the regular season with a 5-0 victory over Southern Utah Saturday at Erv Huether Field.

The Jackrabbits, who won the final three games of the four-game weekend series, improved to 24-28 overall and 17-10 in The Summit League. SDSU, which won 14 of its last 16 league games, earned the third seed in next week's Summit League Championship after Oakland (Mich.) defeated Centenary (La.), 11-7, on Saturday.

Southern Utah, which will be the second seed in the league tournament, dropped to 26-22 overall, 15-7 in league play.

SDSU broke a scoreless deadlock with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Joel Blake started the rally with a base hit and moved all the way to third base on a bunt single by John Lee. Sawyer, who was 4-for-4 in the game, followed with his second consecutive double to drive in Blake. Tony Martin notched the Jackrabbits' fourth straight hit to start the inning with a base hit to drive in Lee. Sawyer later scored on a groundout by Stephen Turner.

Sawyer added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, curling an opposite field home run just inside the foul pole in right field for the record-breaking home run. The previous record of 17 home runs was first set by Terry VanEngelenhoven in 1993.

The Jackrabbits scored the final run of the game in the eighth inning as Billy Stitz scored on the back end of a double steal.

Mike Robinson was credited with the victory after working 3 2/3 innings in relief. The junior left-hander struck out two, walked two and scattered four hits.

Trever Vermeulen, who entered the game with two runners on and two outs in the seventh, allowed a hit and a walk over the final 2 1/3 innings for his second save of the series and third of the season.

Senior Caleb Thielbar started for the Jackrabbits and allowed only one hit and a walk in three innings. The left-hander from Randolph, Minn., fanned five batters.

Blake finished the game with three of SDSU's 13 hits, while Stitz added two hits.

Southern Utah starter Ray Wright gave up the first three runs in his six-inning outing. Wright allowed 10 hits, walked two and struck out one.

Game time for the rematch Thursday between Southern Utah and SDSU at the Summit League Championship in Tulsa, Okla., will be announced Sunday.

NOTES: The all-time series between SDSU and Southern Utah is tied at four wins apiece ... the Jackrabbits ended the home season with a 13-6 mark at Erv Huether Field ... Sawyer also set a single-season record with 135 total bases in Saturday's game, breaking the mark of 127 previously held by Billy McMacken (1990) and VanEngelenhoven (1993) ... Sawyer also took over the team lead in RBI with 53 ... Thielbar upped his season strikeout total to 88, which is the second most in a single season by a Jackrabbit pitcher ... designated hitter Zach Briggs walked eight times in the four-game series ... SDSU pitchers did not allow a home run in the series ... the shutout was the third ? all combined ? by the Jackrabbit pitching staff this season

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 5, SOUTHERN UTAH 0
SUU 000 000 000 0-6-0
SDSU 000 030 11X 5-13-1
SUU:Ray Wright, Keli'i Zablan (7) and Garrett Messerly. SDSU: Caleb Thielbar, Mike Robinson (4), Trever Vermeulen (7) and Tony Martin.
W-Robinson (5-3). L-Wright (1-3). Save-Vermeuelen (3).
HR: SDSU-Jesse Sawyer (18).