Northern Colorado scores late to defeat SDSU
BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) — Northern Colorado scored five times in the top of the eighth inning and received five shutout innings in relief from Hunter Gibson to post a 9-6 victory over South Dakota State in the opening game of a three-game Summit League baseball series Friday afternoon at Erv Huether Field.
UNC improved to 17-26 overall and 8-14 in league play. The Jackrabbits dropped to 12-29 overall and 8-13 in The Summit League.
SDSU scored in each of the first four innings in holding a 6-4 lead midway through the contest. After the Bears scored twice in the top of the first inning, the Jackrabbits quickly loaded the bases in their first at-bat on only three pitches as Carter Sintek singled, Nolan Grawe doubled to the warning track in left-center field and Bryce Ronken was hit by a pitch.
However, the Jackrabbits would only come away with one run in the first inning as Jess Bellows came through with a two-out infield single that plated Sintek.
UNC used more small ball to score an unearned run in the top of the second, but SDSU drew back to within a run when Keagen Jirschele led off the bottom of the frame with his second home run off the season. Jirschele then tied the game at 3-all an inning later with an RBI double.
An RBI single by Brett Barber put the Bears back out front at 4-3 in the fourth before SDSU struck for three runs in the home half of the inning. Bryce Ronken doubled in both Sintek and Grawe for the first two runs, with Ronken later scoring on a sacrifice fly by Adam Benes.
It remained a 6-4 game until the fateful top of the eighth, when the Bears batted around. Jake King walked and Craig Kenny reached on an infield single off SDSU reliever Tristan Augedahl to open the inning. The Jackrabbits then went to closer Dylan Driessen, who walked pinch hitter Dalton Miller to load the bases before Nick Barber plated one run with a groundout and Carter Monda followed two batters later with a two-run, go-ahead single to right field. Another groundout plated the fourth run of the inning and an RBI infield single by Kai Wagner capped the rally.
Gibson, meanwhile, allowed only three hits over his five innings of work as he struck out three batters. UNC starter Murphy Gienger allowed six runs on nine hits while striking out four and walking three in four innings.
Arlen Peters was the first of six Jackrabbit pitchers in the game and surrendered three earned runs on five hits in three-plus innings. He walked two and struck out one. Alex Clemons fanned three batters in two scoreless innings.
SDSU finished with a 12-10 advantage in hits as Sintek and Grawe each tallied three hits and Jirschele added two. Brett Barber, King and Kenny each notched two hits for the Bears.
UP NEXTThe middle game of the series is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
NOTES
UNC leads the season series, 3-1, and has won nine of the last 10 meetings
The Jackrabbits hold a 41-37 advantage in the all-time series
Ronken reached base for the 20th game in a row, which is the largest streak by an SDSU player this season
Grawe has multiple hits in six of the last seven games
Sintek took over the team lead with his 17th multi-hit game of the season
Jirschele's home run was the first hit by a Jackrabbit in the second inning of a game this season
Ty Madison made his team-leading 17 pitching appearance of the year and was credited with a scoreless fourth inning
SDSU is expected to be without the services of its leading home run and RBI man in Luke Luskey for the remainder of the season after he suffered a knee injury last weekend against North Dakota State
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