Tigers split doubleheader with conference rival Mount Marty

MITCHELL, S.D. – Strong hitting helped the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team split a doubleheader versus conference rival Mount Marty University in Great Plains Athletic Conference action on Saturday from Cadwell Park in Mitchell, S.D.

 Dakota Wesleyan silenced Mount Marty in game one with an 11-1 convincing victory, however, DWU dropped the second game by a score of 18-8.

 After starting pitcher Ethan Davis (Billings, Mont.) escaped a two-out jam in the opening inning of game one, Cameron Quigley (Newcastle, Wyo.) gave Dakota Wesleyan the early 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the frame. Quigley drove the first pitch of the at-bat over the right-field fence as he tallied his first homerun of the season and granted the Tigers (15-24, 8-18 GPAC) the early momentum.

 Davis, who finished with five strikeouts in the affair, retired six of the next eight MMU hitters as the game reached the bottom of the third frame. Dakota Wesleyan extended its lead in the bottom half of the third inning after back-to-back singles by Quigley and Drew DeMers (Winner, S.D.), who finished 5-of-5 from the plate. Both Tigers scored after Daulton Wilcoxen (Council Bluffs, Iowa) reached second base on an error with one out and DWU held a 3-0 advantage.

 Mount Marty recorded its only run of the game in the top of the fourth frame which cut the Dakota Wesleyan advantage to two runs, though, Davis continued his strong start. The 6-foot-4 senior struck out the next three MMU hitters in order and surrendered just two hits over the final three innings.

 Meanwhile, the Tiger bats took control of the game in the bottom of the fourth frame as DWU mounted three runs on four hits. A single by Quigley, who finished 3-of-4 from the plate with three RBIs, drove in a pair of runs which gave Dakota Wesleyan a 5-1 lead. Moments, later DeMers doubled to left field and granted the Blue and Gray a five-run lead.

 After DWU added a run in the sixth frame, a single by Jared Jones (Edmond, Okla.) in the same inning, which drove in three runs, handed the Tigers a nine-run lead, 10-1. Despite a pair of hits by the Lancers (28-17, 16-11 GPAC) in their final at-bat, Dakota Wesleyan claimed the 11-1 victory to begin the doubleheader and Davis secured his fourth complete game of the season.

 To begin game two of the doubleheader, both teams exchanged the lead in the early going and the score sat deadlocked at 3-3 after three innings of play. Luke LeMay (St. Paul, Minn.) scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning followed by an RBI single by Cole Hellie (Phoenix, Ariz.) which drove in Wyatt Hunt (Rapid City, S.D.).

 The Tiges claimed the lead momentarily with a run in the bottom of the fourth frame proceeded by two more runs in the fifth inning. Jacob Hammons (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) registered an RBI single in the fourth inning while DeMers towered a homerun in the fifth frame and DWU held a 6-5 lead as the game progressed into the top of the sixth inning.

 Though, Dakota Wesleyan conceded its momentum over the next three innings as the Lancers scored six runs in the sixth inning and tacked another five runs in the seventh frame. Regardless of a pair of singles by Hunt and Reed Harter (Colome, S.D.) in the seventh inning, MMU held on for the 18-8 win and avoided the sweep.

 Patrick Starr (Overland Park, Kan.) dialed four strikeouts in the start while Wilcoxen and LeMay paced the Tigers with two hits. DeMers, who finished 7-of-10 at the plate on the day, produced both an RBI and a run scored.

 Dakota Wesleyan wraps up the regular season with senior day versus conference foe No. 20 Concordia University at 11 a.m. tomorrow from Cadwell Park in Mitchell, S.D.