MADISON, S.D. – For the fourth time this season, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team battled in-state foe Dakota State University on the diamond including a non-conference, mid-week tilt on Tuesday evening from Flynn Field in Madison, S.D. Drew Kitchens and the Dakota Wesleyan offense leaped out to the initial 3-0 advantage, however; Dakota State powered back for the 14-4 home victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Carter Gullickson and Daulton Wilcoxen kickstarted the DWU approach at the plate in the first inning with singles up the middle, and Kitchens capitalized with a double to center field. Dakota Wesleyan raced out to the 3-0 lead while Kitchens, the sophomore infielder, paced the Tigers (7-14) with a pair of RBIs.
DSU answered the call with back-to-back homeruns in the bottom half of the second inning and led 9-3 through four complete frames. Trojan (19-8) designated hitter Josh Van Beek registered a trio of RBIs and runs scored as Dakota State stole the momentum and clocked 15 hits in the outing.
Both teams tallied a run in the sixth stanza, after a scoreless fifth inning, as Bradley Skorczewski led off the top of the frame with a base-on balls. Seth Christiansen, who chipped in a run scored, reached on a well-struck ball back to the mound which brought Tiger freshman Brady Christoffels to the plate. Christoffels, the Sioux Falls, S.D., native ensued with a sacrifice fly.
Dakota State added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth frame, and DSU collected the double-digit victory in the midst of the frigid conditions. Caleb Crist notched three strikeouts on the mound while Logan Davis and Taylor McCart also fanned a batter each. Gullickson meanwhile finished 2-of-3 from the plate with a hit and walk drawn.
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan hits the diamond next in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) doubleheader versus conference rival Dordt University with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday from Open Space Park in Sioux Center, Iowa.