Game 2
Neb. Wesleyan
Game 1
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team split a Great Plains Athletic Conference doubleheader against Nebraska Wesleyan University Saturday at Cadwell Park
The Tigers used strong pitching and one big blast en route to a 6-1 win in game one. The Prairie Wolves held a narrow one-run lead in the eighth inning before exploding on offense in a 14-3 win that ended in eight innings. The split moves DWU to 12-18 overall and 2-8 in the GPAC.
In game one, the Tigers got a sparkling performance from senior pitcher Joey Fitzgerald (Fairmont, Minn.). He pitched the complete game for DWU, allowing one run on 10 hits, while walking two and striking out 12. The win moves Fitzgerald to 4-1 on the season.
The Tigers got all the offense they needed in the third inning with one swing of the bat. After loading the bases in the second with no outs and failing the score, junior Neil Nagle (Oslo, Minn.) was not going to let that happen again. Nagle came to the plate with the bases juiced and launched a home run over the left field wall for a grand slam and a 4-1 Tiger lead.
DWU added two more in the fourth, with junior Cole Wenande (Alexandria, S.D.) tripling home a run. Wenande scored later on an RBI single from sophomore Jared Neilan (Pierre, S.D.). Fitzgerald did the rest in the third straight win for DWU.
The Tigers finished with nine hits and no errors, compared to 10 hits and no errors from the Prairie Wolves.
Game two saw a tight matchup through seven innings. NWU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, but DWU chipped away with a pair in the third inning. The Tigers got an RBI double from Neilan in the third, followed by an RBI from Nagle. Down 4-2 in the seventh, Nagle delivered his second RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to pull DWU within a run.
The Prairie Wolves put the game out of reach late, scoring 10 times in the eighth inning, which included two 2-run home runs from Mark Korsakas. The Tigers walked five batters and hit two more in the inning, while using five pitchers.
The Tigers finished with five hits and one error, while the Prairie Wolves had 13 hits and two errors.
The Tigers are right back at home to take on Concordia University at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cadwell Park in Mitchell, S.D.