BRANDON, S.D. – On an unusually sunny winter day, head coach Charlie Dubanoski and the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball program hit the diamond to open the 2022 baseball season with a neutral-site doubleheader versus in-state rival Dakota State University on Sunday afternoon from Aspen Park in nearby Brandon, S.D.
The Tigers (0-2) dropped game one of the doubleheader by a score of 3-2 and suffered an 8-6 defeat in game two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cameron Quigley led off game one for Dakota Wesleyan as the New Castle, Wyo., native reached on a Dakota State error. The Tiger outfielder advanced to second via a steal, however, the Blue and Gray hitters were retired in order. The Trojans (5-1) answered in the bottom of the first inning with a pair of runs and controlled a 2-0 advantage.
In the top of the second frame, Wyatt Hunt reached on a hit-by-pitch while DWU pushed across its first run of the contest in the top-half of the third stanza. Kyler Halverson led off with a single to left and scored thanks to a double off the bat of Drew Kitchens. Kitchens, the University of Sioux Falls transfer, paced the Tigers at the plate with a pair of RBIs on two hits in game one while Dakota Wesleyan cut the deficit to 2-1.
Dakota State extended its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third stanza as DSU capitalized on a one-out single. Noah Angstadt, who finished 2-of-3 in the box for Dakota State, scored following back-to-back singles with two outs.
After a scoreless fourth frame, DWU delivered its final run in the top of the fifth inning. Luke LeMay started the order with a single to right field and scored after a two-out single by Kitchens which narrowed the DSU benefit to 3-2. Dakota Wesleyan looked to even the score in the final two innings after a pair of baserunners in the sixth and seventh innings, yet the Trojans held on for the 3-2 win.
On the mound, 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher Matt Bezdicek covered four innings and clocked a trio of strikeouts in his first start as a Tiger. Fellow DWU senior Bradley Dean added another three strikeouts in two innings of relief on the mound.
The Dakota State hitters continued the momentum to begin game two with a string of hits in the bottom of the second frame as the Trojans scratched together an early 1-0 lead. A pair of Dakota Wesleyan homeruns in the top of the fourth inning, meanwhile granted the Tigers its first lead of the afternoon at 2-1. Daulton Wilcoxen dialed a one-out homerun over the left-field fence while LeMay sent a shot over the center field wall.
Four different DWU hitters homered in the doubleheader finale while DSU took a commanding 8-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth stanza. The Trojans, who tallied their fair share of hits with 10 hits and four homeruns, scored a run in the fourth frame and added six runs in the fifth inning.
Facing the six-run margin, the DWU offense made things interesting down the stretch while the offensive slugfest continued. Seth Christiansen capitalized on a one-out pitch in the sixth inning and homered to left field. The three-run at-bat by Christiansen narrowed the Dakota State advantage to 8-5. Down to its final three outs of the day, Carter Gullickson attempted to mount a comeback with another Tiger hit over the left field wall.
DSU held on for the 8-6 win despite five extra-base hits by the DWU offense in the finale. On the bump, Jacob Hammons fanned a trio of batters while surrendering just one earned run in three innings.
UP NEXT
Dubanoski and the Tigers return to the diamond next with a trip south as Dakota Wesleyan battles non-conference opponent Missouri Valley University in a four-game series next weekend in Marshall, Mo. First pitch for both doubleheaders is set for noon with game two to follow.