McDONALD CONTINUES HOT STREAK IN BIG WIN

Thursday, March 17

Natchitoches, La.

4 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Northwestern State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

3/17/2022 10:38:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana — Ryan McDonald played a key role in two big innings for South Dakota State in its series-opening, 16-2 baseball victory at Northwestern State Thursday afternoon, driving in a career-high seven runs with a three-run triple and a grand slam.

With the win, the Jackrabbits improved to 5-10 overall. Northwestern State had its four-game winning streak come to an end in falling to 7-10 on the season.

The reigning Summit League Player of the Week, McDonald capped an eight-run second inning with his three-run triple down the right-field line that scored Henry George, Nic Nelson and Derek Hackman. It was McDonald's second hit of the inning as the Jackrabbits sent 12 men to the plate in the frame.

Hackman opened the inning with a single and scored the first run on a wild pitch. The Jackrabbits continued to take advantage of wildness by the Demons' pitching staff, with two runs scoring on three hit-by-pitches with the bases loaded to Reece Anderson, George and Hackman in his second plate appearance of the inning. Luke Ira plated another run with a sacrifice fly.

The Jackrabbits were hit by a pitch eight times in the game and also drew four walks.

Northwestern State scored both of its runs in the home half of the second as Larson Fontenot tripled in the first run and later scored on a sacrifice fly.

Jackrabbit starter Owen Bishop struck out seven and walked two over six strong innings. Reece Arbogast pitched three shutout innings to earn the save. The freshman left-hander surrendered only one hit, walked one and struck out three.

McDonald's grand slam in the eighth inning was part of a six-run outburst. The other two runs scored on a sacrifice fly by Adam Benes and RBI groundout by George. Dawson Parry closed out the scoring for SDSU with a run-scoring pinch-hit single in the ninth.

McDonald finished a double away from the cycle as he went 3-for-5 to lead SDSU's 10-hit attack. Anderson added a pair of hits.

UP NEXT
The two squads are scheduled to play a doubleheader Friday, starting at 2 p.m.

NOTES

Thursday's game marked the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Northwestern State
The Jackrabbits won a series-opening game for the first time this season
McDonald is 9-for-15 (.600 batting average) over his last three games with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs
Ira had his seven-game hitting streak come to an end
Bishop struck out the side in order in the bottom of the first inning
SDSU's 16 runs were the most in a game since scoring 18 against Western Illinois on May 6, 2017
NSU had scored a combined 76 runs in the previous four games

-GoJacks.com-