JACKS FALL IN SERIES OPENER AT UNC

Friday, March 27

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

7-19, 2-5

Northern Colorado

6-21, 4-2

South Dakota St.

Northern Colo.

Dayton Franke follows through on his swing and starts running to first base after making contact on a pitch in action March 8, 2026, against Southern Illinois at the Cambria Classic played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Photo by: Ricky Bassman

3/27/2026 8:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. — Northern Colorado answered a couple early multi-run innings by South Dakota State with eight consecutive runs Friday afternoon to defeat the Jackrabbits, 9-6, in the opening game of a three-game Summit League baseball series at Jackson Field.

The Bears improved to 6-21 overall and 4-2 in league play. SDSU dropped to 7-19 overall and 2-5 in The Summit League.

The Jackrabbits used the long ball in opening up a 5-0 lead through their first three trips to the plate. After back-to-back walks to Carter Taylor and Keagen Jirschele with one out in the top of the second inning, Luke Wroblewski connected on a three-run shot for his first home run in an SDSU uniform.

In a two-run third inning, Luke Luskey hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season and the Jackrabbits added another run later in the frame when Dayton Franked doubled, moved to third on a single by Nate Wachter and scored on the back end of a double steal.

However, Northern Colorado quickly responded with a four-run bottom of the third inning that was highlighted by a three-run home run by Ethan Sanchez. Jackrabbit starter Sam Schlecht ran into more difficulty in the fourth as the Bears struck for three more runs on an RBI double by Brandon Sanchez and a two-run homer by Sam Pease.

Mason Griffin's home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth pushed the UNC lead to 8-5 and brought an end to Schlecht's day as the Jackrabbit right-hander would go on to suffer his first loss since the opening weekend of the season after allowing eight runs on nine hits. He struck out four.

Luskey drew the Jackrabbits to within 8-6 with an RBI single in the seventh inning that followed a double by Nolan Grawe. SDSU loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning, but UNC reliever Trevor Landen retired Grawe on a lineout to left field to end the threat.

The Bears then added an insurance in their half of the eighth on an RBI double by Griffin, who was 3-for-4 to lead UNC's 12-hit attack.

Luskey and Franke each tallied two of the Jackrabbits' seven hits.

Reece Wagner worked the first six innings for the Bears, striking out seven and walking three en route to his second win of the season. Landen pitched the final three innings for the save.

ON DECK
Game 2 of the series is set for noon Mountain Time (1 p.m. Central) on Saturday.

NOTES

SDSU leads the all-time series, 43-38
Luskey has hit four home runs in his last six games and now has 27 in his career
Grawe recorded his team-leading 10^th double and has now tallied an extra-base hit in each of the last four games
Jirschele has reached base in a career-best nine consecutive games
Wroblewski became the 10th Jackrabbit to hit a home run this season
Ty Madison pitched the final three innings for the Jackrabbits
Neither Schlecht or Madison issued a walk in the game, marking the first time this season SDSU did not issue a free pass