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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: SDSU Athletics
JACKRABBITS DROP SLUGFEST TO SPLIT SERIES
2/18/2026 10:15:00 PM | Baseball
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Turn about is fair play.
One day after South Dakota State won a slugfest, Incarnate Word returned the favor by hitting five home runs en route to a 19-18 victory over the visiting Jackrabbits Wednesday afternoon in nonconference baseball action at Sullivan Field.
In earning a split of the two-game series, the Cardinals improved to 3-2 overall while SDSU dropped to 1-4.
UIW wasted little time in setting the tone for the game, erupting for seven first-inning runs. Colin Cymbalista started the outburst with a three-run double and Ayden Alsobrooks launched the first Cardinal long ball on the afternoon with a three-run shot that chased SDSU starter Jaren Vogt after only two-thirds on an inning.
The Jackrabbits began to chip away at the deficit with a three-run second inning that began with a Travis Finney leadoff double. Finney would score the first SDSU run on a fielders choice off the bat of Luke Wroblewski before freshman Carter Taylor plated two with a single to left field.
Incarnate Word re-upped its lead to 13-4 with a run in the home half of the second inning and five more runs in the third inning. Drake Anderson provided the big blow with a grand slam.
SDSU responded by scoring the next 10 runs between the fourth and fifth innings to grab a one-run lead. A bases-loaded walk to Luke Luskey, a sacrifice fly from Dayton Franke and a run-scoring single by Finney all preceded a three-run home run by catcher Nate Wachter in the fourth.
Franke connected on a grand slam of his own to account for the fifth-inning runs as the lead would change again a couple times in the next two frames. Jake Weaver's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth gave UIW a momentary 16-14 lead before SDSU rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh.
The Jackrabbits' seventh-inning rally all came after the first two hitters were retired. Wachter recorded his fourth RBI of the game with a single up the middle and each of the other three runs scored without a hit as Grant Sorensen and Owen Siegert drew bases-loaded walks around Taylor being hit by a pitch.
UIW had the final offensive answer in the home half of the seventh. Preston Newberry greeted SDSU reliever Logan Campbell by hitting his second pitch of the game over the center-field fence for a game-tying two-run homer. Three batters later, Kevin Ramos hit the go-ahead home run.
The bullpens found firm footing the rest of the way, especially Cardinal right-hander Fawster Voytko, who allowed only one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win.
Austin Henry, the last of seven Jackrabbit pitchers on the day, tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Both teams' pitching staffs struggled to consistently find the strike zone as they combined to issue 27 bases on balls, including a Division I-era record 17 by the Jackrabbits against 13 strikeouts.
SDSU finished with a 14-13 advantage in hits. Wachter led the way by going 4-for-5 and Taylor notching three hits.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits wrap up their season-opening road swing through Texas with a three-game weekend series at Tarleton State. Friday's series opener in Stephenville, Texas, is set for a 3 p.m. start time.
NOTES
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One day after South Dakota State won a slugfest, Incarnate Word returned the favor by hitting five home runs en route to a 19-18 victory over the visiting Jackrabbits Wednesday afternoon in nonconference baseball action at Sullivan Field.
In earning a split of the two-game series, the Cardinals improved to 3-2 overall while SDSU dropped to 1-4.
UIW wasted little time in setting the tone for the game, erupting for seven first-inning runs. Colin Cymbalista started the outburst with a three-run double and Ayden Alsobrooks launched the first Cardinal long ball on the afternoon with a three-run shot that chased SDSU starter Jaren Vogt after only two-thirds on an inning.
The Jackrabbits began to chip away at the deficit with a three-run second inning that began with a Travis Finney leadoff double. Finney would score the first SDSU run on a fielders choice off the bat of Luke Wroblewski before freshman Carter Taylor plated two with a single to left field.
Incarnate Word re-upped its lead to 13-4 with a run in the home half of the second inning and five more runs in the third inning. Drake Anderson provided the big blow with a grand slam.
SDSU responded by scoring the next 10 runs between the fourth and fifth innings to grab a one-run lead. A bases-loaded walk to Luke Luskey, a sacrifice fly from Dayton Franke and a run-scoring single by Finney all preceded a three-run home run by catcher Nate Wachter in the fourth.
Franke connected on a grand slam of his own to account for the fifth-inning runs as the lead would change again a couple times in the next two frames. Jake Weaver's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth gave UIW a momentary 16-14 lead before SDSU rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh.
The Jackrabbits' seventh-inning rally all came after the first two hitters were retired. Wachter recorded his fourth RBI of the game with a single up the middle and each of the other three runs scored without a hit as Grant Sorensen and Owen Siegert drew bases-loaded walks around Taylor being hit by a pitch.
UIW had the final offensive answer in the home half of the seventh. Preston Newberry greeted SDSU reliever Logan Campbell by hitting his second pitch of the game over the center-field fence for a game-tying two-run homer. Three batters later, Kevin Ramos hit the go-ahead home run.
The bullpens found firm footing the rest of the way, especially Cardinal right-hander Fawster Voytko, who allowed only one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win.
Austin Henry, the last of seven Jackrabbit pitchers on the day, tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Both teams' pitching staffs struggled to consistently find the strike zone as they combined to issue 27 bases on balls, including a Division I-era record 17 by the Jackrabbits against 13 strikeouts.
SDSU finished with a 14-13 advantage in hits. Wachter led the way by going 4-for-5 and Taylor notching three hits.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits wrap up their season-opening road swing through Texas with a three-game weekend series at Tarleton State. Friday's series opener in Stephenville, Texas, is set for a 3 p.m. start time.
NOTES
- UIW leads the all-time series, 5-2
- The two teams combined for 67 runs in the two-game series, with SDSU holding a 37-30 advantage
- Taylor went 7-for-11 (.636 average) in the two games with five RBIs
- Wachter posted a .600 batting average (6-for-10) and drove in a team-high eight runs in the series
- Franke's grand slam was the second of his career and he has now hit nine home runs in only 80 collegiate at-bats
- Grawe had his hitting streak end at 14 games dating back to last season, but has now reached base safely in 21 consecutive games after drawing a walk and being hit by a pitch in Wednesday's game
- SDSU's previous record for walks in a Division I game was 15 in a loss at Saint Louis on March 9, 2025
- The two squads combined to throw more than 450 pitches in a game that lasted 4 hours and 8 minutes
-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
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