Baseball falls to Jamestown in conference action

MITCHELL, S.D. – After a slow start in the first inning, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team was not able to recover as the Tigers fell to University of Jamestown, 7-3 in Great Plains Athletic Conference baseball action Monday in Mitchell.

 The Jimmies (17-10, 7-4 GPAC) scored three runs in the first inning after the Tigers (11-15, 5-6 GPAC) committed three errors in the field. Jamestown did not record a hit in the first inning but had the early lead at 3-0.

 Both teams would not score until the fifth inning when DWU began to chip away at the Jimmie lead. After Landon Neugebauer (Mitchell, S.D.) singled to center field, Jerrod Zens (Alexandria, S.D.) delivered an RBI-double to score the Tigers first run of the game.

 In the next inning, Wes Anderson (Duluth, Minn.) began the top half of the inning being hit by a pitch. Moments later, Chandler Bakley (Martin, S.D.) slapped a single to right field to advance Anderson to third base. In the next at-bat, Reed Harter (Colome, S.D.) hit into a fielder's choice, scoring Anderson from third base to cut the Jamestown lead to one run.

 In the bottom half of the inning, the Jimmies would score four runs on three hits to take a 7-2 lead into the final inning of play. Senior JT Miller (Sioux Falls, S.D.) led off the inning with a solo-blast to left field to make the score 7-3. But it was not enough as Jamestown closed out the seventh inning to win the ballgame.

 Miller finished 1-for-2 with a homerun while Zens also went 1-for-2 with an RBI-double. Harter finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Gunnar Johnson (Gresham, Ore.) started the game on the mound for DWU, pitching 5 and two-third innings while only giving up three hits and one earned run.

 The Tigers will resume the GPAC doubleheader with Jamestown at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Mitchell, S.D.