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 22
Tulsa, Okla.
11 a.m.
South Dakota State University
7
vs
3
Centenary
Thielbar hurls gem as Jacks stay alive
5/22/2009 3:15:00 PM | Baseball
TULSA, Okla. ? South Dakota State struck for four runs in the top of the 10th inning and Caleb Thielbar turned in a complete-game, 12-strikeout performance as the Jackrabbit baseball team stayed alive in the Currington Mortgage Summit League Championship with a 7-3 victory over Centenary (La.) Friday.
The Jackrabbits, who improved to 25-29, will play a rematch with No. 2 Southern Utah in another elimination game at 7 p.m. Friday at J.L. Johnson Stadium. Host and top-seeded Oral Roberts rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth to defeat SUU, 9-6, Friday afternoon.
Centenary ended its season at 33-19.
Billy Stitz started the game-winning rally with a single to lead off the 10th inning against Centenary reliever Justin Kraft. Stitz moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jesse and scored on a base hit up the middle by Joel Blake. Jesse Sawyer extended the inning with a two-out double and the Jackrabbits loaded the bases when Tony Martin was hit by a pitch. Stephen Turner then came through with a two-run single through the left side to score both pinch-runner Beau Hanowski and Sawyer, and Martin also crossed home plate after Turner was caught in a rundown.
Thielbar matched his career high for strikeouts set earlier in the season against North Dakota State and also tied the Jackrabbit single-season mark of 100 set by Trevor Schulte in 1994. A senior left-hander from Randolph, Minn., Thielbar threw 150 pitches ? 103 for strikes ? for his first complete game since 2007. He scattered 12 hits and walked two.
Centenary took an early 2-0 lead with runs in the second and third innings, scoring on a groundout and an error.
SDSU tied the game in the top of the fourth. John Lee reached on an error to open the frame and moved to third on Sawyer's first double of the game. Lee scored on a groundout by Tony Martin, while Sawyer scored two batters later on a base hit by Eric Cain.
The Jackrabbits grabbed a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning as Cain delivered another run-scoring single to plate Martin, but Centenary tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Jomar Tabor led off with a base hit for the Gents, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Travis Leverson's single through the right side.
Boone Whiting pitched the first nine innings for Centenary, striking out eight and walking one while surrendering five hits.
Leverson and Tim Deering each tallied three of the Gents' 12 hits. Sawyer, Turner and Cain collected two hits apiece for the Jackrabbits, who notched nine hits in the game.
NOTES: SDSU leads the all-time series against Centenary, 6-3, although the Gents held a 3-2 season advantage ... Centenary stranded 11 runners in the game, compared to five by the Jackrabbits ... Martin increased his single-season hit total to 76, one shy of tying the school record of 77 set by Matt Hanson in 2002, and Blake upped his season hit total to 75 ... Sawyer moved into sixth place on the Jackrabbit charts for doubles in a season with 17 and upped his single-season total bases record to 144 ... Sawyer and Turner share the team lead with 55 runs batted in, which is fifth on the SDSU single-season charts ... Thielbar earned his 20th career victory, tying him for fourth place on the Jackrabbit career victories list with Jon Maras (1989-92) and Bob Reeves (1984-87) and also tied current teammate Isaac Johnson for third place in career appearances with 64 ... Thielbar, Mike Robinson and Sam Pieczynski share the team lead with five victories this season
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 7, CENTENARY 3 (10 inn.)
SDSU 000 201 000 4 7-9-1
CC 011 000 100 0 3-12-2
SDSU: Caleb Thielbar and Tony Martin. CC: Boone Whiting, Justin Kraft (10) and Jeff Schaffert.
W-Thielbar (5-8). L-Kraft (6-4).
HR: none.
The Jackrabbits, who improved to 25-29, will play a rematch with No. 2 Southern Utah in another elimination game at 7 p.m. Friday at J.L. Johnson Stadium. Host and top-seeded Oral Roberts rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth to defeat SUU, 9-6, Friday afternoon.
Centenary ended its season at 33-19.
Billy Stitz started the game-winning rally with a single to lead off the 10th inning against Centenary reliever Justin Kraft. Stitz moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jesse and scored on a base hit up the middle by Joel Blake. Jesse Sawyer extended the inning with a two-out double and the Jackrabbits loaded the bases when Tony Martin was hit by a pitch. Stephen Turner then came through with a two-run single through the left side to score both pinch-runner Beau Hanowski and Sawyer, and Martin also crossed home plate after Turner was caught in a rundown.
Thielbar matched his career high for strikeouts set earlier in the season against North Dakota State and also tied the Jackrabbit single-season mark of 100 set by Trevor Schulte in 1994. A senior left-hander from Randolph, Minn., Thielbar threw 150 pitches ? 103 for strikes ? for his first complete game since 2007. He scattered 12 hits and walked two.
Centenary took an early 2-0 lead with runs in the second and third innings, scoring on a groundout and an error.
SDSU tied the game in the top of the fourth. John Lee reached on an error to open the frame and moved to third on Sawyer's first double of the game. Lee scored on a groundout by Tony Martin, while Sawyer scored two batters later on a base hit by Eric Cain.
The Jackrabbits grabbed a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning as Cain delivered another run-scoring single to plate Martin, but Centenary tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Jomar Tabor led off with a base hit for the Gents, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Travis Leverson's single through the right side.
Boone Whiting pitched the first nine innings for Centenary, striking out eight and walking one while surrendering five hits.
Leverson and Tim Deering each tallied three of the Gents' 12 hits. Sawyer, Turner and Cain collected two hits apiece for the Jackrabbits, who notched nine hits in the game.
NOTES: SDSU leads the all-time series against Centenary, 6-3, although the Gents held a 3-2 season advantage ... Centenary stranded 11 runners in the game, compared to five by the Jackrabbits ... Martin increased his single-season hit total to 76, one shy of tying the school record of 77 set by Matt Hanson in 2002, and Blake upped his season hit total to 75 ... Sawyer moved into sixth place on the Jackrabbit charts for doubles in a season with 17 and upped his single-season total bases record to 144 ... Sawyer and Turner share the team lead with 55 runs batted in, which is fifth on the SDSU single-season charts ... Thielbar earned his 20th career victory, tying him for fourth place on the Jackrabbit career victories list with Jon Maras (1989-92) and Bob Reeves (1984-87) and also tied current teammate Isaac Johnson for third place in career appearances with 64 ... Thielbar, Mike Robinson and Sam Pieczynski share the team lead with five victories this season
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 7, CENTENARY 3 (10 inn.)
SDSU 000 201 000 4 7-9-1
CC 011 000 100 0 3-12-2
SDSU: Caleb Thielbar and Tony Martin. CC: Boone Whiting, Justin Kraft (10) and Jeff Schaffert.
W-Thielbar (5-8). L-Kraft (6-4).
HR: none.
Players Mentioned
UTIL
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OF
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RHP
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C
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RHP
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LHP
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IF
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OF
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LHP
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1B
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