MITCHELL, S.D. – A total of nine seniors were honored as the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team commenced its 2022 senior day against University of Jamestown in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) doubleheader on Thursday evening from the newly renovated Drake Field in Mitchell, S.D. Senior Matt Bezdicek wrote his name into the Dakota Wesleyan baseball record books with his program-best, single-season 17th double of the season, and Wyatt Hunt homered; yet Jamestown stole the show with a 7-4 win in the opener and the 16-5 victory in game two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kendall Yackley, the UJ infielder, started the action with a lead-off homerun while DWU settled into a nice groove through the first two innings. Bezdicek, who clocked three hits in the opening affair, responded with a solo shot in the bottom of the first fame while Jacob Hammons continued the momentum at the plate in the bottom of the second inning. Hammons tallied 1-of-3 extra-base knocks to plate Luke LeMay, and the Tigers (14-28, 7-19 GPAC) worked the quick 2-1 benefit.
Bezdicek, the 6-foot-4 righthanded pitcher who also got the start on the mound, fanned six Jimmie (26-21, 15-11 GPAC) hitters through the first three stanzas along with an executed lineout managed by senior outfielder Cameron Quigley. Dakota Wesleyan meanwhile extended its lead, despite a run by Jamestown in the top of the fourth inning, with two more runs plated in the bottom of the fourth stanza. Daulton Wilcoxen commenced the frame with a base-on balls, and Kyler Halverson struck a sharp poke down the left field line to grant the Blue and Gray the 4-2 edge.
UJ swung back with a game-high five runs in the top of the sixth inning after RBI singles by Quade Peters and Tanner Shepard. The Jimmies raked in 10 hits including a trio of doubles and secured the 7-4 victory. Bezdicek and Troy Wilhelm combined for 11 strikeouts on the mound while Hammons and Halverson plated three Tiger runs.
Jamestown outfielder Tayler Cullen opened the finale with a 3-run blast in the opening inning, and UJ charged out to an 11-0 advantage through 2.5 complete frames. Cullen dialed six RBI on a trio of hits while Dakota Wesleyan plated its first three runs of game two in the bottom of the third stanza. Hunt concluded the at-bat with a shot past the third baseman, however, UJ balanced the 11-3 lead.
In spite of another run by the visitors in the fourth frame, Hunt and the Tigers rallied for their final two runs in the bottom of the fifth stanza. Bezdicek, surpassing Thomas Gulledge's 2005 single-season record of 16 doubles in a campaign with 17, notched a 2-out extra-base knock out of the infield. Hunt, with his third blast of the season, followed suit with a deep homerun to centerfield as DWU narrowed the deficit to 12-5. Though, Jamestown stole the finale 16-5 for the doubleheader sweep.
UP NEXT
Head coach Charlie Dubanoski and the Tigers await the fait of their final doubleheader of the season versus Jamestown slated for tomorrow at 1 p.m. from Drake Field in Mitchell, S.D.
