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South Dakota State University Athletics
Sunday, April 10
Macomb, Ill.
noon
South Dakota State University
14
at
10
Western Illinois
Jackrabbits rally to down WIU
4/10/2011 4:26:00 PM | Baseball
MACOMB, Ill. - South Dakota State overcame a 9-1 deficit, capping a record-setting weekend with a 14-10 victory over Western Illinois in their Summit League baseball series finale Sunday afternoon at Al D. Boyer Stadium.
The Jackrabbits, winners of 12 of their last 13 games, improved to 14-10 overall and 3-1 in Summit League play. WIU dropped to 8-22 overall and 1-3 in league play.
For the third time in as many days, a Jackrabbit senior established a new career record. On Sunday, senior third baseman Jesse Sawyer hit a pair of home runs - the 44th and 45th of his career - to break a tie with Greg Geary (43 home runs from 2002-05) for the SDSU career lead. Sawyer opened the scoring with a solo home run to left field in the third inning and added a three-run shot in the sixth inning - his seventh of the season -- as the Jackrabbits began their comeback.
Sawyer's sixth-inning blast was followed by an Andrew Melton solo home run to pull SDSU to within 9-6. It marked the third time this season Sawyer hit two home runs in a game.
SDSU closed the margin to 9-7 with a run in the seventh inning, then took the lead with another five-run frame in the eighth. Joel Blake plated the first run with a base hit to score Beau Hanowski and Phil Paquette gave the Jackrabbits the lead for good with a two-run single. Following a wild pitch, Eric Cain delivered a two-run single to score Zach Rhodes and Paquette.
WIU drew to within 12-10 with a run in the bottom of the eighth on a solo home run by Ryan Cowhey. The Fighting Leathernecks put the tying run on base, but Jackrabbit reliever Austin Busse retired the second and third hitters in the WIU lineup to end the threat.
The Jackrabbits tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth on RBI singles by Hanowski and Stitz.
Busse allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, but got the next three hitters on outfield flyouts to preserve his first career save.
The Fighting Leathernecks roughed up SDSU starter Kolton Emery for five runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth. Tom Lilja hit a two-run home run in the third inning and added a solo shot off reliever Marcus Heemstra in the fifth.
Heemstra earned his first collegiate victory after allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out one and hit two batters.
In the series opener on Friday, Jackrabbit reliever Trever Vermeulen set the career saves record and senior outfielder Billy Stitz established a new mark for career hits.
Stitz ran his career hits total to 261 with a 3-for-6 day at the plate on Sunday. Sawyer was 3-for-5 with four runs batted in, while four other Jackrabbits tallied two of the team's 16 hits.
Lilja and, Chris Giglio and Dan Dispensa each had three of WIU's 13 hits.
The Jackrabbits are tentatively scheduled to open the home schedule Monday afternoon against Dakota Wesleyan. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. at Erv Huether Field.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 14, WESTERN ILLINOIS 10
SDSU 001 005 152 14-16-0
WIU 005 310 010 10-13-2
SDSU: Kolton Emery, Marcus Heemstra (5), Deon Entringer (8), Austin Busse (8) and Nick Andrews, Zach Briggs. WIU: Alexander Zarate, Philip Tolman (6), Chris Fuchs (8), Travis Pedersen (9) and John Koszulinski.
W-Heemstra (1-0). L-Tolman (0-2). Save-Busse (1).
HR: SDSU-Jesse Sawyer 2 (7), Andrew Melton (1); WIU-Tom Lilja 2 (9), Ryan Cowhey (3).
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