TULSA, Okla. The South Dakota State baseball team swept a three-game series against Oral Roberts over the weekend.
It was the first series of Summit League play for the Jackrabbits as they beat the Golden Eagles 5-2 on Friday, 12-7 on Saturday and 6-3 on Sunday.
Friday
SDSU 5, Oral Roberts 3
Nic McCay tied a South Dakota State Division I-era single-game record with 13 strikeouts to help lead the Jackrabbits to a 5-2 victory over Oral Roberts in the Summit League baseball opener for both teams Friday night at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
The Jackrabbits plated the first run of the game in the top of the third inning when freshman Bryce Ronken led off with a triple past the outstretched glove of the center fielder and scored on a squeeze bunt by Jordan Sagedahl that resulted in a single.
SDSU put together a three-run frame in the sixth to knock out Golden Eagle starter Jakob Hall. Cael Frost, who was 3-for-4 in his Summit League debut, started the rally with a single and scored on a double to the right-center gap by Dawson Parry. After an infield single by Cade Stuff put runners at the corners, Jess Bellows delivered a run-scoring single that brought home Parry. Stuff later scored the third run of the inning on a bases-loaded walk to Sagedahl.
Frost scored an insurance run in the seventh inning, singling and advancing all the way to third on a two-base error before crossing home plate on a sacrifice fly by Stuff.
Stuff tallied two of the Jackrabbits 11 hits.
McCay, meanwhile, carried a shutout into the eighth inning, but exited after allowing back-to-back singles to Elijah Rodriguez and Holden Breeze to begin the inning. Alex Clemons walked the first two batters he faced to force in the first ORU run of the game and another run scored on a misplayed ball in the outfield that still resulted in an out, but escaped further damage.
Clemons tallied the first out of the bottom of the ninth before Dylan Driessen came on with the tying run at the plate to earn his first career save by retiring both batters he faced.
McCays 13 strikeouts came in bunches as the right-hander, who missed three of the last four seasons due to injuries, struck out the side in the fourth and sixth innings, while fanning two batters in the second, third and seventh frames. His 13 strikeouts matched the total put up by Brady Stover in the first game of an April 7, 2018, doubleheader against Fort Wayne that was played in Joplin, Missouri.
A senior from Carlisle, Iowa, McCay allowed five hits and walked two in his seven-plus innings of work.
Hall surrendered nine hits and five runs four earned in 6 1/3 innings for ORU. He struck out three and walked two.
Saturday
SDSU 12, Oral Roberts 7
South Dakota State took the lead with an unearned run in the fifth inning and broke the game open with a five-run sixth to secure a series win over defending Summit League baseball champion Oral Roberts with a 12-7 victory Saturday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
The Jackrabbits improved to 9-10 overall and 2-0 in league play. ORU dropped to 7-12 overall and fell to 0-2 in The Summit League. The Golden Eagles lost only one league game last season en route to a berth in the College World Series.
SDSU right-hander Jake Goble held the Golden Eagles in check through the first six innings, allowing single runs in the first and fourth frames. Three straight singles, the last of which was by David Herring, plated the first ORU run, The Golden Eagles strung together three more singles in the fourth with Kole Dudding delivering the run-scoring hit.
The Jackrabbits took a momentary 2-1 lead with two runs in the top of the third, loading the bases when Davis Carr was hit by a pitch, Carter Sintek reached on an infield single and Cael Frost walked. Dawson Parry came through with a single through the left side that scored Carr and Cade Stuff delivered a sacrifice fly that brought Sintek home.
SDSU received a gift in the fifth inning to gain a lead they would not relinquish. With two outs and Carter Sintek at first base, Stuff hit a deep fly ball on which the center fielder raced back to near the warning track, but dropped the ball to allow Sintek to race around the bases for a 3-2 lead.
Four of the Jackrabbits six hits in the five-run sixth inning went for extra bases as SDSU built its lead to 8-2. Bryce Ronken and Luke Luskey opened the frame with back-to-back doubles for the first run and Reece Anderson added a run-scoring double two batters later. Frost then stepped to the plate and lined a pitch over the wall in right-center for a three-run home run.
Frosts team-leading ninth homer of the season also extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
SDSU would go on to score in each of the final five innings, tacking on a run in the top of the seventh on an Anderson single that drove in pinch-runner Adam Benes.
Goble, who struck out four and walked three, left with one out and two on in the bottom of the seventh. A bases-clearing, three-run double by Drew Stahl pulled Oral Roberts to within 9-5 and the Golden Eagles made it a 10-7 game in the eighth before reliever Dylan Driessen slammed the door by striking out Herring with the bases loaded.
Stuff drove in two more runs for the Jackrabbits in the late innings as Frost slid around a tag at the plate on a fielders choice in the eighth, then delivered his second sacrifice fly of the game after a bases-loaded walk to Parry in the ninth.
Arlen Peters closed out the Jackrabbit victory by tossing a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
ORU held a 12-10 advantage in hits as five different players notched two hits. Anderson, Sintek and Luskey each tallied two hits for the Jackrabbits.
Golden Eagle starter Brooks Fowler lasted only three innings, but did not factor in the decision after walking three and striking out two. Ryan Carmack was assessed the loss after giving up five runs (four earned). ORU pitchers managed only two strikeouts on the day while issuing nine free passes.
Sunday
SDSU 6, Oral Roberts 3
Reece Arbogast pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and Dawson Parry hit his third grand slam of the season Sunday afternoon to spearhead a 6-3 South Dakota State victory and secure a Jackrabbit sweep of a three-game Summit League baseball series over Oral Roberts at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
In becoming the first Summit League team to ever sweep a series at ORU, the Jackrabbits improved to 10-10 overall and 3-0 in league play. Oral Roberts dropped to 7-13 overall and 0-3 in the Summit League.
SDSU struck quickly with a pair of runs in its first at-bat. Carter Sintek and Cael Frost each tallied one-out singles and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball before Cade Stuff delivered his fifth and sixth RBIs of the series with a double to the fence in center field.
Arbogast, meanwhile, tied ORU up in knots at the plate, setting the Golden Eagles down in order in each of the first four innings, including striking out the side in the third inning. The junior left-hander from Sioux Falls didnt allow a baserunner until issuing a walk with two outs in the fifth and surrendered only one hit a single to center field by Ryan Blackwell in the sixth inning.
The Jackrabbits built their lead to 6-0 in the top of the sixth on Parrys second grand slam of the week and eighth home run of the season. Bryce Ronken and Jordan Sagedahl opened the frame with back-to-back singles and Frost walked to load the bases for Parry, who launched an 0-1 offering from Owen Reynolds over the wall in left field.
After Brady Hawkins recorded the final out of the seventh inning and Sam Schlecht pitched a scoreless eighth, ORU broke up the combined shutout bid in the bottom of the ninth on a three-run homer by Blackwell. Alex Clemons came on to retire both batters he faced to close out the Jackrabbit victory.
SDSU finished with a 10-4 advantage in hits as Frost, Parry, Stuff and Ronken all collected two hits apiece. Frost extended his hitting streak to 18 games and has hit safely in 19 of the Jackrabbits 20 games so far this season.
Arbogast struck out four and walked two in picking up his first win of the season.
Joshua Caravalho worked the first three innings for ORU and took the loss after surrendering two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out two. Jared Ure did not allow a run over the final three innings.
Up next
The Jackrabbits are scheduled to play Tuesday night at Creighton. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field in downtown Omaha.
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