Completed Event: Baseball versus Arizona State on May 30, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 17
/
FINAL
Baseball
0
vs Arizona State
17
South Dakota State University Athletics
Thursday, May 27
Tulsa, Okla.
3 p.m.
South Dakota State University
6
vs
5
Oakland (Mich.)
Never-say-die Jacks win tourney opener
5/27/2010 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
TULSA, Okla. – South Dakota State rallied for three runs against Oakland (Mich.) in the bottom of the eighth inning, tied the game with a run in the ninth and won the game, 6-5, on a bases-loaded walk to Zach Briggs in the 10th inning Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Currington Mortgage Summit League Baseball Championship.
The top-seeded Jackrabbits improved to 38-19 overall with the extra-inning victory. SDSU will face the winner of Thursday night's game between second-seeded Oral Roberts and No. 3 seed Centenary at 3 p.m. Friday.
Oakland dropped to 22-33 overall and will play the loser of Thursday's late game at 11 a.m. in an elimination game.
Trailing 5-1, SDSU took advantage of a pair of errors to plate the three eighth-inning runs. An infield single by Billy Stitz loaded the bases and two runs scored when Daniel Telford reached on second error of the frame. Stitz later scored on a base hit by Joel Blake.
Eric Cain opened the Jackrabbit ninth inning with a bad-hop single and moved to third on a base hit by Zach Rhodes. Briggs followed with a sacrifice fly to knot the game at 5-all, but Golden Grizzly reliever Matt LaMothe ended the SDSU rally struck out Telford and retired Jeff Fish on a groundout with the bases loaded.
Jesse Sawyer started the winning rally by drawing his third walk of the game to lead off the 10th. John Lee trickled a single through the right side to advance Sawyer to third and Cain was intentionally walked to load the bases. LaMothe was able to strike out Rhodes swinging, but missed low and away on a 3-2 pitch to Briggs to force in the winning run.
Oakland jumped out to a 3-0 lead against SDSU starter Jared Koch, scoring in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly and twice in the second on a two-run single by Tim Ryan.
The Jackrabbits got on the board in the bottom of the second as Zach Rhodes singled and scored on a two-out triple to right field by Beau Hanowski. Rhodes was 4-for-6 to lead SDSU's 14-hit effort. Stitz added three hits.
OU benefitted from an SDSU error to increase its lead in the top of the fifth as D.J. Jarrad punched a single through the right side to plate Aaron Cieslak. Jarrad, who led Oakland's 16-hit attack with a 4-for-5 day at the plate, added another run-scoring single two innings later to up the margin to 5-1.
Koch worked the first four innings for SDSU, striking out three and allowing three runs on seven hits. Sam Pieczynski gave the Jackrabbits a solid outing out of the bullpen, allowing only one run in 3 2/3 innings.
Trever Vermeulen, who entered the game with two outs and two runners on in the top of the ninth, was credited with the victory, improving to 9-1 on the season. The junior right-hander struck out two in 1 1/3 innings.
Oakland starter Kyle Teague pitched seven strong innings of one-run baseball, striking out five, walking two and allowing seven hits.
NOTES: SDSU improved to 8-2 all-time against Oakland … the Jackrabbits improved to 3-2 in Summit League Baseball Championship games … SDSU upped its record to 5-1 in extra-inning games this season … the Jackrabbits stranded a season-high 16 runners in the game … Stitz, who started the game at second base, upped his season hit total to 104 with his 38th multi-hit game of the season … Stitz also moved into sole possession of fourth place on the Jackrabbit career hits chart with 227 and sole possession of sixth place in career doubles, breaking respective ties with Cole Irish (224 hits from 1993-96) and Doug Sehr (46 doubles from 1991-94) … Vermeulen tied John Semar (1994) for third place on the single-season victories list with nine ... Vermeulen lowered his earned run average to 1.10
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 6, OAKLAND 5 (10 inn.)
OU 120 010 100 0 — 5 16 3
SDSU 010 000 032 1 — 6 14 1
OU: Kyle Teague, Mark Leichtman (8), Matt LaMothe (9) and Brett Geschke. SDSU: Jared Koch, Mike Robinson (5), Sam Pieczynski (6), Trever Vermeulen (9) and Zach Briggs.
W-Vermeulen (9-1). L-LaMothe (3-5). SV-none.
HR: none.
Players Mentioned
UTIL
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballSunday, May 31
Saturday, May 30
Saturday, May 30
Thursday, May 28