JACKS, WESTERN SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER

Saturday, April 9

Brookings, S.D.

noon

South Dakota State University

10-15, 4-3

Western Illinois

3-23, 1-6

Western Illinois

South Dakota State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/9/2022 7:42:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The South Dakota State baseball team opened the home portion of its schedule by splitting a Summit League doubleheader against Western Illinois Saturday afternoon at Erv Huether Field. The Jackrabbits held on for a 4-3 victory in the opener, while WIU claimed the nightcap, 5-2.

SDSU ended the day 10-16 overall and 4-4 in league play. The Fighting Leathernecks moved to 4-23 overall and 2-6 in The Summit League.

Game 1: SDSU 4, Western Illinois 3
Luke Ira provided early offense and Nic McCay pitched into the eighth inning as the Jackrabbits earned a one-run victory.

Ira, a junior shortstop from Iowa City, Iowa, opened the scoring two batters into the home half of the first inning. After Henry George drew a leadoff walk, Ira launched his team-leading seventh home run of the season over the fence in left field off WIU starter Jace Warkentien for a 2-0 lead.

George scored each of the Jackrabbits' other two runs of the game in the third and fifth innings. In the third, he drew a leadoff walk, stole second and beat the throw home on a groundout off the bat of Ryan McDonald.

A bunt single by George with one out set up McDonald, who delivered his second RBI of the game with a double to left for what would be the final Jackrabbit tally of the game.

McCay limited Western Illinois to only two hits and a walk through seven innings, striking out seven. He lost his shutout bid in the eighth inning as Sam Maddox led off with a single and scored on Adam Juran's double to left field.

Ryan Bourassa came on in relief of McCay, but the Leathernecks drew to within a run at 4-3 after two Jackrabbit errors extended the inning.

Bourassa worked around a hit batter in the ninth, leaving the tying run stranded at third base after George recorded the final out with a sliding catch in left field.

WIU finished with a 5-4 advantage in hits. The Leathernecks' Dillon Sears was the lone player for either team with two hits.

Game 2: Western Illinois 5, SDSU 2
WIU's Chandler Fochs pitched a complete game and the Leathernecks generated some small-ball offense to salvage a split of the twinbill.

The two squads traded runs in the first few innings, with Western Illinois scoring an unearned run in the top of the third.

SDSU answered in the home half of the third as Drew Beazley led off the frame with his second home run of the season.

Sears led off the Leathernecks' top of the fourth with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly to shallow right.

However, the Jackrabbits matched that run with one of their own in their next at-bat. The inning started off promising as Ira and McDonald hit back-to-back doubles, although Ira could only advance to third base on McDonald's hit. Ira later came across on a sacrifice fly by Dawson Parry.

WIU grabbed the lead for good on a two-run single by Diego Munoz that scored both Sears and Kory Olsen, knocking out Jackrabbit starter Cody Carlson in the process. The Leathernecks added an insurance run in the eighth inning against the Jackrabbit bullpen after a walk, sacrifice bunt and two wild pitches.

Fochs, meanwhile, settled into a groove, limiting South Dakota State to five hits. The right-hander struck out five and did not issue a free pass.

UP NEXT
The decisive game of the three-game series is set for 1 p.m. Sunday

NOTES

SDSU leads the all-time series, 39-29
The Jackrabbits have homered in nine consecutive games
With his round-tripper in the opener, Ira homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his career
Ira extended his hitting streak to eight games
McDonald has reached base safely in 15 consecutive games
In winning back-to-back starts, McCay has allowed one earned run, struck out 14 and walked two over 13 1/3 innings
Bourassa's save in the opener was his third of the season
Carlson has factored in the decision in all eight of his starts this season (4-4 record)
Freshman Alex Clemons has not allowed a run and struck out eight batters over his last four appearances, covering five innings