Jackrabbits take series opener at Western, 8-5

Friday, March 20

Macomb, Ill.

3:00 PM

South Dakota State University

8-10, 1-3

Western Illinois

3-13, 1-3

South Dakota State

Western Illinois

3/20/2015 9:10:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: SDSU Sports Info

MACOMB, Ill. – In a back-and-forth game, South Dakota State had the answer in the late innings to defeat Western Illinois, 8-5, in Summit League baseball action Friday afternoon at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

By winning the series opener, the Jackrabbits improved to 8-10 overall and 1-3 in league play. WIU dropped to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in The Summit League.

Western Illinois displayed the offense in the early going, scoring twice on four hits in the first inning against Jackrabbit starter Adam Bray. Chris Tschida and Connor McGinnis drove in the Fighting Leatherneck runs with singles.

The Jackrabbits put together a two-out rally to get on the board in the top of the second as Al Robbins doubled and scored on Cody Sharrow's opposite-field single to right.

SDSU grabbed its first lead with a two-run fifth inning and built the lead to 4-2 with another run in the sixth. Sharrow and Eric Danforth opened the frame with back-to-back singles and both moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by Paul Jacobson. Zach Coppola plated Sharrow with the tying run before freshman Luke Ringhofer delivered a two-out double to score Danforth with the go-ahead run. Tony Kjolsing scored the SDSU run in the sixth inning on a groundout by Robbins after leading off with a single, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error.

Bray kept Western Illinois off the board until tiring in the sixth, when the Fighting Leathernecks scored three times to regain the lead at 5-4. Tschida started the rally with a leadoff double and scored on McGinnis' second run-scoring hit of the game. After the tying run scored on a double play, Colton Pogue plated the go-ahead run with a single down the right-field line.

The WIU lead was short-lived, however, as the Jackrabbits took the lead for good in the top of the seventh, scoring twice. Eric Danforth drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a base hit by Paul Jacobson against reliever J.T. Baksha. Ringhofer followed two batters later with an infield single to drive in Jacobson.

Ringhofer was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, while Danforth went 3-for-3 and scored twice as the Jackrabbits out-hit WIU, 14-10.

SDSU put the game out of reach with two more runs in the eighth. Danforth knocked in the first run with a bunt single and Jacobson added his second run-scoring single in as many innings.

Talon Jumper pitched three shutout innings to earn his first save of the season, striking out three and allowing two hits. Bray struck out four in six innings.

The Jackrabbits and WIU are slated to play the middle game of their three-game series at noon Saturday.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 8, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5
SDSU 010 021 220 8-14-3
WIU 200 003 000 5-10-2
SDSU: Adam Bray, Talon Jumper (7) and Reid Clary. WIU: Joe Mortillaro, J.T. Baksha (7), Nick Milligan (7), Tyler Owings (8) and Mark Garton.
W-Bray (2-2). L-Baksha (0-2). Save-Jumper (1).
HR: none.