Tigers pick up crucial wins in weekend road series

SIOUX CITY, Iowa. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team entered the weekend in eighth place of the Great Plains Athletic Conference race. Following a 3-1 record on the weekend, DWU now sits in fifth place after going 2-1 against Northwestern College on Saturday in Orange City, Iowa and finishing 2-0 against Briar Cliff University today in Sioux City, Iowa.

Tigers pick up crucial wins in weekend road series

Team Stats

April 7, 2019

SIOUX CITY, Iowa. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team entered the weekend in eighth place of the Great Plains Athletic Conference race. Following a 3-1 record on the weekend, DWU now sits in fifth place after going 2-1 against Northwestern College on Saturday in Orange City, Iowa and finishing 2-0 against Briar Cliff University today in Sioux City, Iowa.

 DWU got off to a quick start in the opening game of the weekend as they tallied a pair of runs in the first inning. Drew DeMers (Winner, S.D.) smacked a one-run single to bring home the first run of the game. A few batters later, Tyler Torres (Novato, Calif.) was walked with the bases loaded, bringing home the second run.

 After the Red Raiders (13-19, 7-9 GPAC) tallied a run in the bottom half of the inning, JT Miller (Sioux Falls, S.D.) nailed an RBI single to bring home a run. DeMers tallied his second RBI of the game as he reached base, bringing home a run to give DWU a 4-1 lead.

 After Northwestern tied the game in the third inning, the Tigers (14-17, 8-8 GPAC) erupted for six runs in the fifth frame. Reed Harter (Colome, S.D.) kicked off the scoring with an RBI single, followed by a Torres RBI single.

 A few batters later, freshman Cole Gassman (Canova, S.D.) joined the action with a two-run single. Jerod Zens (Alexandria, S.D.) capped off the scoring with an RBI single. Northwestern tallied three runs over the final two innings, but it was not enough as the Tigers took the game, 10-7.

 DeMers finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, while Gassman went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. Torres went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and Harter finished the game 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Layne Stafford (Arlington, Neb.) picked up the win on the mound as he pitched three and a third innings, allowing just two hits.

 The second game saw less action as the Red Raiders were first put a run on the scoreboard in the third inning. DeMers tied the game as he grounded out to the short stop, but brought home a run. Northwestern regained the lead with a run in the bottom half of the inning and another score in the following inning.

 Despite a Wes Anderson (Duluth, Minn.) RBI single in the seventh inning, Northwestern took the second game, 4-2.

 Anderson led the way as he went 3-for-4 with a run batted in, while DeMers finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Dominique Boerger (Milbank, S.D.) was tabbed with the loss as he pitched seven innings, striking out eight batters.

 In the first game on Sunday, the Tigers kicked off the day with a five-run first inning. DeMers once again nailed a one-run single to start the scoring. Moments later, Harter singled to center field to bring another run home. A few batters later, Kyle Bailey (Brandon, S.D.) nailed a two-run single to left field to continue the scoring. 

 Two innings later, the Tigers added a pair of runs followed by a run in the fourth and sixth innings. DWU put the game out of reach thanks to a seven-run seventh frame that was highlighted by an Anderson three-run homerun, pushing the Tigers to a 16-3 victory.

 Anderson finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a homerun and four runs scored. Miller and Bailey finished 3-for-5 and 1-for-3 at the plate, respectively. Ethan Davis (Billings, Mont.) picked up the win on the mound as he struck out four batters in six innings pitched.

 In the final game, DeMers hit a sacrifice fly out to left field to bring Anderson home. One batter later, Chandler Bakley (Martin, S.D.) doubled to left field to bring Joseph Hanisch (Sioux Falls, S.D.) home to hold a 2-0 lead.

 The Tigers took a commanding 6-0 lead one inning later after four runs came home that began with an Anderson RBI double to center field. Despite the Chargers (20-15, 10-6 GPAC) adding two runs in the fourth and sixth innings, the Tigers were able to hold them off for an 8-5 victory.

 Anderson finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored, while Bakley went 1-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in. Bailey went 2-for-4 with an RBI, as DeMers tallied two RBIs. Gavin Reichmuth (Chandler, Ariz.) picked up the win as he struck out two batters in six innings pitched and allowed four runs.

 The Tigers take on NCAA Division I opponent, South Dakota State University at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Brookings, S.D.