Jacks end U.S. Bank Stadium tour with win

Wednesday, March 8

Minneapolis, Minn. [U.S. Bank Stadium]

7 a.m.

South Dakota State University

5-5

Minnesota-Crookston

3-3

Minnesota-Crookston

South Dakota State

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

3/8/2017 3:23:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Johnson and Newt Johnson each hit home runs and freshman Tyler Olmstead pitched five strong innings for his first collegiate victory as South Dakota State defeated Minnesota-Crookston, 8-4, Wednesday.

The Jackrabbits, who won three times in their four-game slate at U.S. Bank Stadium, improved to 5-5 overall. Minnesota-Crookston dropped to 3-3.

After the Golden Eagles scored a run in the top of the first, Newt Johnson put SDSU out front with a three-run home run to left-center field, scoring Nick Smith and Phil Velez ahead of him. The Jackrabbits tacked on another run later in the frame on an RBI groundout by Skyler Wenninger that plated Matt Johnson, who followed Newt Johnson's home run with a double.

Philip Jacobson, who was 3-for-4, pushed the Jackrabbit lead to 5-1 in the third inning with a run-scoring single.

Olmstead surrendered an unearned run in the fifth inning as he finished his first collegiate start with seven strikeouts and no walks. Brett Mogen followed with five strikeouts over three innings in which he allowed one earned run. Chris Halbur added a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning as SDSU finished with 13 strikeouts against only one base on balls.

Matt Johnson led off the seventh inning with his second home run of the season. SDSU scored two more runs later in the inning on a wild pitch and Smith's RBI bunt single.

Smith paced the Jackrabbits' 14-hit attack by going 4-for-5. Luke Ringhofer, Matt Johnson and Newt Johnson each tallied two hits.

For Minnesota-Crookston, leadoff hitter Anthony Stewart went 4-for-5, including a leadoff double, and scored the first three Golden Eagle runs. The final run of the game came on back-to-back doubles by Mitchell Bornhauser and Riley Thompson.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits open a three-game series Friday at returning College World Series qualifier Oklahoma State. First pitch Friday is set for 4 p.m.

NOTES
• Wednesday's game marked the first-ever matchup between SDSU and Minnesota-Crookston on the baseball diamond
• Matt Johnson has hit safely in all 10 games this season
• Matt Johnson's home run was the 16^th of his career
• Smith tallied his third multi-hit game of the U.S. Bank Stadium series and sixth of the season to raise his batting average to a team-best .450
• Halbur has not allowed a run in six appearances this season and has struck out nine batters in seven innings, while limiting the opposition to a .091 batting average

-GoJacks.com-