Jacks, Centenary split Saturday twinbill

Saturday, May 1

Huether Field

12 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Centenary (La.) [DH]

5/1/2010 7:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: SDSU Sports Info

Both South Dakota State and Centenary (La.) put together decisive five-run innings to split a Summit League baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Erv Huether Field.

The Jackrabbits matched their win total of a season ago by winning the opener, 7-4, moving to 26-15 on the season and 9-6 in league play. Centenary came back to win Game 2, 8-3, to go to 22-17 overall and 11-3 in The Summit League.

In the opener, SDSU starter Blake Treinen remained undefeated, upping his record to 5-0 after pitching 6 2/3 innings. Reliever Trever Vermeulen pitched the final 2 1/3 inning to record his eighth save of the season.

The Jackrabbits got out of the gates quickly as Billy Stitz hit a home run to lead off the game. Centenary tied the game with a run-scoring double by Trey McGee in the second inning before SDSU struck for five runs in the bottom of the fourth. John Lee started the rally with a leadoff single and scored on Eric Cain's triple to left-center field. Daniel Telford, Scott Hood, Joel Blake and Jesse Sawyer all delivered run-scoring singles later in the inning.

Centenary scored a run in the fifth and added a pair against a tiring Treinen in the seventh on a Cliff Shepard run-scoring double and RBI groundout to pull to within 6-4. Vermeulen entered the game with two outs and a runner on third, but retired Alex Todd on a liner to right to end the threat.

Vermeulen allowed two runners in the eighth, but pitched a perfect ninth inning to preserve the victory.

Treinen, a junior from Osage City, Kan., struck out six and walked six, scattering nine hits. Vermeulen struck out three and walked one.

Centenary starter David Benson took the loss as he also allowed nine hits and recorded six strikeouts.

Hood was 3-for-3 with two runs scored to lead the Jackrabbit offense. Ryan Bell notched three hits for Centenary as hits were even at 10 apiece.

In Game 2, Scott Pasket hit a grand slam - his second home run of the game - to give Centenary the lead for good as the Gents salvaged a split of the twinbill, 8-3. Michael Tompkins golfed a solo shot out of the yard later in the decisive fifth inning.

Centenary led 2-0 after three innings, scoring in the first on an RBI single by Shepard in the third on a solo home run by Pasket. A third baseman, Pasket entered the day without a home run.

SDSU tied the game at 2-all with a pair of long balls in the fourth inning. Joel Blake hit his eighth home run of the season with out in the frame and John Lee followed two batters later with his seventh round-tripper of the season.

Each team scored a run in the seventh inning to account for the final score.

Centenary starter Seth Lugo pitched the first six innings to earn his second victory of the season. The right-hander surrendered only three hits, walked two and struck out five.

Alex Oberle took the loss for SDSU after giving up the big fifth inning. Oberle dropped to 6-3 on the season. Freshman hurler Stephen Bougher started for the Jackrabbits and worked the first four innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Bougher struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Six different players recorded two hits as Centenary out-hit the Jackrabbits, 12-4. No player had more than one hit for SDSU.

The two teams are scheduled to conclude their four-game series Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Erv Huether Field.

NOTES: SDSU leads the all-time series, 7-5 ... Vermeulen moved into a tie for second place on the Jackrabbit career saves chart with the 11^th of his career, tying Bruce Mogen (11 saves from 1983-86). Vermeulen, who lowered his earned run average to 0.89, also moved to within one of the SDSU single-season saves record held by Gary Olechoski (2006) and Jacob Kougl (2007) with nine ... senior left-hander Mike Robinson made his 55^th career appearance - sixth all-time at SDSU - in the second game of the doubleheader ... Cain moved into third place on the SDSU single-season RBI chart with 59 ... three of SDSU's five Summit League losses have come in the second game of doubleheaders

Game 1: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 7, CENTENARY (La.) 4
CC 010 010 200 -- 4 10 2
SDSU 100 500 01X -- 7 10 0
CC: David Benson, Dakota Robinson (6), Derek Dalzell (8) and Jeff Schaffert. SDSU: Blake Treinen, Trever Vermeulen (7) and Zach Briggs.
W-Treinen (5-0). L-Benson (4-3). SV-Vermeulen (8).
HR: SDSU-Billy Stitz (4).

Game 2: CENTENARY 8, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3
CC 101 050 1 -- 8 12 0
SDSU 000 200 1 -- 3 4 1
CC: Seth Lugo, Stephen Tromblee (7) and Jeff Schaffert. SDSU: Stephen Bougher, Alex Oberle (5), Mike Robinson (6) and Joel Blake.
W-Lugo (2-1). L-Oberle (6-3). SV-none.
HR: CC-Scott Pasket 2 (2), Michael Tompkins (3); SDSU-Joel Blake (8), John Lee (7).