Pacific rallies for series win

Sunday, February 23

Stockton, Calif.

noon PT/2 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

1-5

Pacific

5-2

South Dakota State

Pacific Tigers

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

2/23/2020 7:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. – Pacific's Alex LeForestier drove in two runs with a single that tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning and plated the winning run with a double in the 11^th as the Tigers won the decisive game of a three-game nonconference baseball series against South Dakota State, 6-5, Sunday afternoon at Klein Family Field.

The Tigers improved to 5-2 overall, while SDSU dropped to 1-5. All three games of the series were decided by one run, with Pacific winning the final two contests in its last at-bat.

Trailing 2-0, the Jackrabbits scored five consecutive runs to take a 5-2 lead into the late innings. Landon Badger hit a two-run home run in the third inning to even the score and SDSU took the lead with a three-run sixth. Braeden Brown singled in the first two runs of the frame and later scored on a two-out double by Derek Hackman.

Both Brown and Hackman went 2-for-5 at the plate to lead the Jackrabbits' eight-hit effort.

Pacific drew to within 5-3 on Jeremy Lea's solo homer off SDSU starter Brady Stover in the home half of the sixth. Stover struck out three, walked three and allowed three runs on five hits in leaving with the lead through six innings.

Jackrabbit reliever Brett Mogen, who was making his second appearance of the series, pitched scoreless frames in both the seventh and eighth innings and retired the first two batters of the ninth before allowing a single to James Arakawa.

SDSU closer Bret Barnett entered to try to record the final out, but issued two walks to load the bases for LeForestier, who lined a single to right that brought home both Arakawa and James McClenaghan to force extra innings.

The Jackrabbits threatened in the 10^th after a one-out double by Drew Beazley, but did not score.

McClenaghan, who was 3-for-5 at the plate, began the game-winning rally in the bottom of the 11^th with a single off Barnett. Charles Middleton Jr., the hero in Pacific's Saturday victory, greeted reliever Eli Sundquist with a single to left to set the table for LeForestier, who drove the game-winner to the right-field fence to complete the comeback.

Luke Price plated the first two runs of the game with a two-run double for Pacific in the second inning.

Landon Curtis, who struck out two in 1 1/3 scoreless innings, picked up the win in relief.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits are scheduled to travel to Minnesota for a nonconference game Wednesday night. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

NOTES

Pacific leads the all-time series, 3-1
The Jackrabbits dropped to 0-2 in extra-inning games this season and 1-3 in one-run games
Brown recorded his third multi-hit game of the season and extended his hitting streak to five games
Stover's six-inning start was his longest since tossing 6 2/3 innings against Oral Roberts on April 20, 2018
Mogen pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the series before giving up his first run of the season in the ninth
Badger moved into a tie with Ryan McDonald for the team lead in runs batted in with four
SDSU did not commit an error for the fourth time in six games this season

-GoJacks.com-