Jacks fall in marathon in Macomb

Saturday, March 21

Macomb, Ill.

12:00 PM

South Dakota State University

8-11, 1-4

Western Illinois

4-13, 2-3

South Dakota State

Western Illinois

3/21/2015 5:37:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: SDSU Sports Info

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 14^th inning, defeating South Dakota State by a 2-1 count Saturday afternoon at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

With the win, the Fighting Leathernecks improved to 4-13 overall and 2-3 in The Summit League. SDSU dropped to 8-11 overall, 1-4 in league play. The two squads are scheduled to play the finale of their three-game series at noon Sunday.

Payton Jeffers started the game-winning rally with a single to left field against Jackrabbit closer J.D. Moore, and advanced to third on a base hit by Jake Moore. After an intentional walk to Chris Tschida loaded the bases, J.D. Moore struck out J.J. Reimer. With Adam McGinnis at the plate, Jeffers scored on the wild pitch.

The Jackrabbits led 1-0 through five and a half innings, scoring their lone run of the game in the second inning as Reid Clary, who led off the frame with a double, scored on the back end of a double steal with Al Robbins.

Western Illinois broke through against Jackrabbit starter Chris Anderson in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 1-all on a sacrifice fly by Colton Pogue that scored Mark Garton.

SDSU, which stranded 19 runners in the game, failed to capitalize on a number of scoring opportunities in the ensuing innings, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth, 11^th and 13^th. In the 11^th, the Jackrabbits loaded the bases with nobody out on a single to left field by Cody Sharrow and successive bunt singles by Eric Danforth and Paul Jacobson. However, WIU reliever Tyler Owings worked out of the jam by inducing three consecutive ground-ball outs, the first two of which resulted in a Jackrabbit runner being forced out at home.

Anderson allowed only three hits and two walks over eight innings. The left-hander struck out six. Reliever Andrew Clemen followed with five shutout innings in which he fanned a career-high seven, walked one and surrendered only one hit.

Nate Milligan earned the victory after pitching the final two innings. WIU starter Tom Constand allowed one run on six hits, striking out seven and walking one in seven innings. Owings added four shutout innings and Jordan Pannell pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Fighting Leathernecks.

The Jackrabbits held a 13-6 advantage in hits, with Zach Coppola, Newt Johnson and Danforth each recording a double among the five different SDSU players with two hits. Garton was the lone player with two hits for Western Illinois.

Coincidentally, the Jackrabbit loss came a year to the day after SDSU dropped another 2-1, 14-inning decision at Chicago State (Ill.).

WESTERN ILLINOIS 2, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 1 (14 inn.)
SDSU 010 000 000 000 00 1-13-2
WIU 000 001 000 000 01 2-6-0
SDSU: Chris Anderson, Andrew Clemen (9), J.D. Moore (14) and Reid Clary, Trey Lapke. WIU: Tom Constand, Jordan Pannell (8), Tyler Owings (9), Nick Milligan (13) and J.J. Reimer.
W-Milligan (1-0). L-Moore (0-1). Save-none.
HR: none.