Omaha hit five home runs, including one by Ryan Cate in each game, as the Mavericks swept a Summit League baseball doubleheader from South Dakota State Saturday at a blustery Erv Huether Field.
The Mavericks, who won by scores of 19-6 and 10-3, improved to 17-14 overall and 8-3 in league play. SDSU dropped to 9-20 overall and 5-6 in The Summit League. The two teams are scheduled to play the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Game 1 Omaha took the lead with a six-run seventh inning and scored 16 runs over the final three innings in earning a 19-6 victory in the first game of the twinbill.
Trailing 4-2 through five innings, the Mavericks pulled to within a run on an RBI groundout in the sixth, then sent 10 men to the plate against three Jackrabbit pitchers in the seventh. Freshman Grant Suponchick, who was 5-for-6 in the game, delivered a two-out single off SDSU starter Andrew Clemen that plated Adam Caniglia with the tying run. Jack Kalina drew a bases-loaded walk against reliever Joe Erickson to force in the go-ahead run and Alex Schultz cleared the bases with a double to center field.  A Cole Gruber single drove in Schultz to give the Mavericks a 9-4 lead.
The Maverick offensive onslaught continued in the late innings of the opener as Cate delivered a two-run as part of a four-run eighth and Kalina launched a grand slam to left field in the ninth. Clayton Taylor led off the six-run ninth inning with a solo homer.
Caniglia, who was 4-for-4 and scored four times, hit the first of four Omaha home runs in the game in the top of the third. However, the Jackrabbits grabbed the lead in the home half of the inning with three unearned runs. Newt Johnson plated the first run with an infield single and Anthony Schneider followed with a two-run single to right. Schneider later gave the Jackrabbits a 4-2 lead with an RBI groundout in the fifth that scored Luke Ringhofer.
Clemen took the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Brett Sasse pitched the final four innings to earn the victory for Omaha.
Game 2 Omaha carried its offensive momentum into the second game of the twinbill, racing out to a 7-0 lead through two innings en route to the 10-3 win. The Mavericks again put together a two-out rally to put up four runs in the top of the first against Jackrabbit starter Ethan Kenkel. Cate, Sam Palenseky and Riley Herrold all delivered two-out RBI singles and another run scored on an error.
Omaha knocked out Kenkel in the second inning, scoring three more times on a sacrifice fly and RBI hits by Gruber and Cate. Cate, who tallied three of Omaha's 12 hits, added a home run in the top of the fourth to push the Maverick lead to 8-1.
SDSU couldn't take advantage of wildness by Maverick starter Sam Murphy, who issued seven walks in four-plus innings. The Jackrabbits got on the board in the third on a sacrifice fly by Matt Johnson and trimmed the deficit to 9-3 on a two-run homer by Jesse Munsterman in the fifth.
The Jackrabbits stranded two runners later in the fifth and left the bases loaded in the seventh. In all, SDSU left 15 men on base.
Colton Adams, who pitched three shutout innings, earned the win in relief for UNO.
Landon Busch allowed two runs over 3 2/3 innings in relief, while freshman left-hander Henry DeCaster held Omaha in check by giving up one run over the final four innings for the Jackrabbits.
Ringhofer recorded a pair of doubles among his three hits. Sharrow added two more of the Jackrabbits' 10 hits.
Game 1: OMAHA 19, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 6 UNOÂ Â Â Â Â 001Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 101Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 646Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19-22-3 SDSUÂ Â Â Â 003Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 010Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 101Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6-11-2 UNO: Tyler Fox, Brett Sasse (6) and Adam Caniglia. SDSU: Andrew Clemen, Joe Erickson (7), Chris Halbur (7), Derringer Huff (8) and Luke Ringhofer, Kolton Michalski. W-Sasse (2-3). L-Clemen (2-5). Save-none. HR: UNO-Clayton Taylor (8), Adam Caniglia (1), Ryan Cate (4), Jack Kalina (1).
Game 2: OMAHA 10, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3 UNOÂ Â Â Â Â 430Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 200Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 001Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10-12-2 SDSUÂ Â Â Â 001Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 020Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 000Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3-10-2 UNO: Sam Murphy, Colton Adams (5), Eric Moreno (8) and Josh Scribner. SDSU: Ethan Kenkel, Landon Busch (2), Henry DeCaster (6) and Luke Ringhofer. W-Adams (1-0). L-Kenkel (0-2). Save-none. HR: UNO-Ryan Cate (5); SDSU-Jesse Munsterman (2). Â