DWU drops nonconference doubleheader
MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team dropped a nonconference doubleheader Wednesday night to Dakota State University. The two teams were originally scheduled to play Thursday, but forecasted rain pushed the game up a day, and the Trojans came away with a sweep on their home field in Madison, S.D.
MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team dropped a nonconference doubleheader Wednesday night to Dakota State University. The two teams were originally scheduled to play Thursday, but forecasted rain pushed the game up a day, and the Trojans came away with a sweep on their home field in Madison, S.D.
Dakota State (13-14) won the first game 6-5 and picked up a 6-3 win in the nightcap to complete the sweep. The Tigers are now 11-15 overall.
In the first game of the night it was DWU that pulled ahead first. The Tigers scored twice in the second on a homer by Stephen Gunnell and an RBI single by Erik Nockleby. DWU took a 3-0 lead in the third when Gunnell hit a second homer over the center field fence, but the Trojans answered with a four-run fourth. DSU had three home runs – one two-run shot and two solo homers – to take a 4-3 lead.
Dakota Wesleyan took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on a two-run homer by Nick Tadlock, but Dakota State took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer by Ryan Bourcier. Michael Lukkason doubled to start the sixth inning, but the next three batters went down in order and the Tigers only got one man on base in the seventh.
Gunnell finished the night with two homers and two RBIs and Tadlock had one home run and two RBIs for the Tigers. Lukkason also had two of the Tigers' eight hits. Ethan Opsahl threw all six innings and took the loss. He gave up six runs on six hits with seven strikeouts.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game after Maximum Shower doubled, advanced on a bunt by Kirk McBreen and scored on an error, but DSU took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Trojans scored once in the second and third innings, and added a single run in the sixth. DWU scored in the fourth on a sac fly by Nockleby and again in the sixth on a solo homer by Chris Ciatti, but it wasn't enough.
Ciatti had two hits for DWU, which had six total hits. Joey Fitzgerald threw the first four innings and took the loss. He gave up five runs on five hits and struck out four. Chris Housley struck out two batters in one inning of work and Josh Wagner threw the final inning.
The Tigers are back in action Saturday, March 24, when they travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on Northwestern College in a nonconference doubleheader at the Metrodome. The Tigers are scheduled to open their home season Wednesday, March 28, at 5 p.m. against Mayville State University.