WIN STREAK GROWS TO NINE WITH SWEEP OF UST

Sunday, April 23

Brookings, S.D.

noon

South Dakota State University

15-17, 8-5

St. Thomas (Minn.)

5-21, 3-7

St. Thomas

South Dakota State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/23/2023 7:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

South Dakota State ran its winning streak to nine games and took over second place in the Summit League baseball standings by sweeping a doubleheader from St. Thomas Sunday afternoon at Bob Shelden Field.

With the 8-5 and 7-0 victories, the Jackrabbits improved to 16-17 overall and 9-5 in league play. St. Thomas dropped to 5-22 overall and 3-8 in The Summit League.

Game 1: South Dakota State 8, St. Thomas 5
The Jackrabbits jumped out to a 5-0 lead through two innings and the bullpen held the Tommies in check after a comeback bid in the middle innings for an 8-5 victory.

SDSU got out of the gates quickly, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan McDonald and Nic Nelson drew back-to-back walks to open the frame before Luke Ira and Thatcher Kozal delivered run-scoring singles. Ira later stole home for the final run of the inning.

A two-run single by Nelson in the bottom of the second pushed the Jackrabbit lead to 5-0.

SDSU starter Reece Arbogast breezed through the first three frames, facing one batter over the minimum before running into trouble in the fourth. A three-run home run by Ben Taxdahl over the short fence in right-center field cut the deficit to 5-3.

The Tommies scored an unearned run in the top of fifth and loaded the bases with one out to chase Arbogast from the game. Alex Clemons was summoned from the bullpen and proceeded to get out of the jam by inducing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Clemons would go on to record three strikeouts over two full scoreless innings.

St. Thomas right-hander Kolby Gartner overcame a slow start to keep the Tommies within striking distance, tossing three shutout innings until SDSU cushioned its lead with an unearned run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Reece Anderson.

Drew Beazley and Anderson added run-scoring singles in the bottom of the eighth and Ryan Bourassa came on to record three strikeouts over the final two innings to earn his fifth save of the season despite giving up a run in the ninth.

UST held a 10-9 advantage in hits with three different players notching a pair of hits for the Tommies. Cade Stuff and Kozal each tallied two hits for the Jackrabbits.

Game 2: South Dakota State 7, St. Thomas 0
Jake Goble and Brady Hawkins combined on a three-hit shutout while Drew Beazley supplied the offense with a pair of home runs.

Once again, SDSU scored three times in the top of the first. McDonald hit a leadoff triple against UST starter Walker Retz and came across on a wild pitch. Ira followed three batters later with a home run to left field, a two-run shot that was the 10^th of the season for the Jackrabbit shortstop, who also extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Anderson contributed a run-scoring single in the second inning, giving Goble more than enough run support as the sophomore right-hander earned his fourth win of the season. After allowing back-to-back singles with one out in the second inning, Goble would go on to retire the next 14 Tommie batters.

Goble completed seven shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out five. He did not issue a base on balls in turning in the longest outing by a Jackrabbit pitcher this season.

Beazley, meanwhile, closed out the scoring for SDSU with a two-run homer to center field in the fourth inning and a solo shot to left in the sixth. Beazley was 3-for-3 and scored three times to lead the Jackrabbits' nine-hit effort. McDonald was 2-for-3.

Hawkins wrapped up the Jackrabbits' first shutout of the season by striking out three over the final two innings.

UP NEXT
The series finale is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start Monday afternoon at Bob Shelden Field.

NOTES

The Jackrabbits hold an 8-0 lead in the all-time series
Beazley became the fourth Jackrabbit with a two-home run game this season (McDonald, Nelson, Kozal)
SDSU has hit 61 home runs this season, putting the Jackrabbits within one of their season total from a year ago
The Jackrabbits' nine-game winning streak is their longest since winning nine games in a row late in the 2017 season
McDonald has reached base in 21 consecutive games
McDonald moved into a tie with Eric Cain (2009-12) for second place on the SDSU career charts with 116 bases on balls
McDonald stole two bases in the doubleheader, becoming the first Jackrabbit in the Division I era (since 2005) to record double figures in both home runs (16) and stolen bases (10) in the same season
Bourassa's save was the 12^th of his career, tying him with Chris Halbur (2016-17) for fifth place in program history
The Jackrabbits' last shutout was a complete-game effort by Cody Carlson against St. Thomas on May 15, 2022, at Erv Huether Field