Brookings, S.D. – The University of North Dakota baseball team dropped a doubleheader to South Dakota State in non-conference action on Wednesday at Erv Huether Field. The Jackrabbits (25-13) won the opener 21-10 and came back to win the nightcap, 21-8 over the Sioux (9-23).
Junior college transfer Craig Dolmage had five hits in the doubleheader as the Sioux managed 22 hits in the twinbill. Juniors Josh Lagein (Devils Lake, N.D.) and Jake Magner (Grand Rapids, Minn.) had four hits and each homered in the second game. Magner led all UND players with four RBI and his round tripper was his 13th of the campaign.
The nightcap started well for the Fighting Sioux as Lagein hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the game. The homer was his sixth of the season and started a four-run opening frame for the Sioux. Senior Josh Nelson capped the scoring with a RBI single to right field, which extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
After SDSU got one run back in its half of the first, UND put up four more runs in the second to take an 8-1 lead. Magner connected on a three-run homer and Kyle Bolander (Hermantown, Minn.) added his second RBI of the game with a run-scoring single. It was Magner's seventh home run in his last five games.
But the Sioux cushion would not last for long as the Jacks would come all the way back over the next two innings as they scored 17 unanswered runs to claim an 18-8 advantage and take control of the game. Shortstop Eric Cain had five hits in the first five innings to pace the SDSU offense that put up 24 hits in the game.
Cain and third baseman Jesse Sawyer each homered and had four RBI for SDSU.
The home team would build its lead to 21-8 with two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. The Sioux loaded the bases in the sixth, but came up empty in their only serious threat to score after the second inning.
UND reliever David Spies (0-3) took the loss in the second game, while SDSU reliever Blaine Alberta notched the win in relief.
In game one, the Sioux could never climb back all the way from an early deficit as the Jackrabbits eventually posted a 21-10 victory in a game shortened to seven innings.
SDSU loaded the bases in each of the first three innings and built a 9-0 advantage off UND starter Travis Clifton (Monterey, Calif.). The Jacks put up six in the second to surge ahead thanks to a couple of bloop hits that found grass after getting caught up in winds gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.
UND packed the bases off SDSU starter Jared Koch in the fourth, but could tally only one run after he hit Aaron Cook (Erskine, Minn.) with a pitch.
After one more run by SDSU made the score 10-1, the Sioux mounted a serious rally by plating four runs in the fifth inning. Junior Josh Ray (Yucaipa, Calif.) delivered a two-run double and Cook also had a run-scoring double in the frame that was extended by a SDSU fielding error.
Reliever Kevin Auth (Cambridge, Minn.) kept the Jacks off the scoreboard in the fifth and UND got two more runs back in the top of the sixth to make its deficit just three runs. UND scored those runs by virtue of three consecutive two-out doubles.
Lagein started the two-base barrage and scored on Dolmage's first double of the game. Magner capped the scoring with his second double of the season.
That would be all the scoring for the Sioux as the Jackrabbits put the game away with an 11-run frame in the sixth. SDSU sent 15 batters to the plate and had nine hits in the inning.
Nelson extended his hitting to streak to 13 games in the opener with a single in the second. It was the first hit given up by Koch.
Koch picked up the win to improve to 1-1 on the season, while Clifton fell to 0-3 with the setback.
The Sioux return to Great West play this weekend when they face former North Central Conference rival Northern Colorado in a four-game series at Kraft Field. First pitch of game one is set for Friday at 3 p.m.
