SDSU drops Summit tourney opener

Thursday, May 21

Tulsa, Okla.

3 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Southern Utah

Jacks claim series with 9-4 victory at Murray

5/21/2009 10:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: SDSU Sports Info

TULSA, Okla. ? Southern Utah scored five times in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead and held on for an 11-8 victory over South Dakota State in the opening game of the Currington Mortgage Summit League Championship Thursday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

The second-seeded Thunderbirds improved to 27-22 overall. SDSU dropped to 24-29 overall and will face the loser of Thursday's other first-round matchup between host Oral Roberts and Centenary (La.) in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Friday.

Things started out well for the third-seeded Jackrabbits, who were playing their first-ever Summit League postseason baseball game. SDSU scored a run in the top of the second inning on a leadoff home run by Tony Martin, and added two more in the third as Stephen Turner doubled in John Lee and later scored on an error.

SUU cracked the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Chester Wilson off SDSU starter Mike Robinson.
The Jackrabbits came right back to build their largest lead at 6-2 with three runs in the top of the fifth. Zach Briggs plated the first run with a sacrifice fly and Billy Stitz followed two batters later with a two-run triple to right center that scored Eric Cain and Turner, and also chased Thunderbird starter Steve Johnson from the game.

However, the Thunderbirds delivered the knockout punch in the home half of the fifth with five runs on six hits. Marcus Pena knotted the game at 6-all with a two-run single and Keli'I Zablan gave SUU the lead for good with a run-scoring double.

A pair of bases-loaded walks in the seventh inning pushed the Thunderbird lead to 9-6, but Jesse Sawyer made it a one-run game in the eighth inning with a two-run home run that upped his school-record single-season home run total to 19.

SUU added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on a hit batter with the sacks full and another bases-loaded walk issued by Jackrabbit reliever Trever Vermeulen.

Ray Wright pitched a perfect ninth inning to record the save. James Crockett, who pitched 3 1/3 innings of relief, earned the victory.

Robinson, who worked five-plus innings, took the loss. The junior left ?hander allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits, walking three and striking out three.

The Thunderbirds held a 15-14 advantage in hits, led by Wilson, who was 3-for-3 with four runs batted in. Bo Cuthbertson also tallied three hits.

Five different players had two hits for the Jackrabbits.

NOTES: Southern Utah leads the all-time series 5-4 ... Martin upped his single-season hit total to 75, two shy of the Jackrabbit record of 77 set by Matt Hanson in 2002 ... the Jackrabbits dropped to 17-12 when scoring first and 13-3 when hitting two or more home runs in a game ... Sawyer increased his school-record total bases mark to 140 with a home run and single ... Stitz raised his batting average to .300 by going 2-for-4, giving SDSU a regular batting order of all nine players at or above the .300 mark

SOUTHERN UTAH 11, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 8
SDSU 012 030 020 8-14-1
SUU 00 252 02X 11-15-1
SDSU: Mike Robinson, Sam Pieczynski (6), Trever Vermeulen (8) and Tony Martin. SUU: Steve Johnson, James Crockett (5) and Ray Wright (9).
W-Crockett (3-3). L-Robinson (5-4). Save-Wright (2).
HR: SDSU-Jesse Sawyer (19), Tony Martin (4); SUU-Chester Wilson (3).