Courtesy: FightingSioux.com Junior Aaron Cook belted a pair of home runs to lead the Sioux to a game-one victory in their doubleheader at South Dakota State
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The University of North Dakota baseball team earned a split of a doubleheader with South Dakota State on Monday at Erv Heuther Field. The Sioux, who had 17 hits in both games, belted three home runs in game one to secure a 12-5 victory before falling 10-8 in the nightcap.
Designated hitter Aaron Cook (Erskine, Minn.) led the Sioux to victory in game one with the first multiple-homer game of his career. He finished the doubleheader 4-for-7 with five RBI, while catcher Andrew Sadler (Grand Forks, N.D.) went 6-for-9 with four runs scored and three RBI.
“I thought we played well today, a lot better than we have been,” UND head coach Jeff Dodson said. “We outplayed them in every category, but baseball is a funny game. Just because the stats say you should win, does not mean you are. I liked our mentality though, but we just can’t seem to get a sweep.”
In game one, Cook blasted a pair of home runs and had a career-high five RBI, while Sadler went 4-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored to pace the Sioux offense.
Freshman David Lind (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) picked up the first win of his career by tossing all seven innings in the opener. Lind (1-3) allowed five runs, three of which were earned, and scattered eight hits in what was also his first career complete game.
The Jacks took the first lead of the game on a two-run homer by Jesse Sawyer in the first. The Sioux chipped away with single runs in the second and third off SDSU starter Mike Robinson to tie the game at 2-2. Junior Jabby Bakhit (Omaha, Neb.) had a two-out, RBI single in the second, while Marek added the same variety of hit to score a run in the third.
SDSU took a brief 3-2 lead back in the third on an unearned run. The Sioux quickly erased that deficit by posting their first of three-straight, three-run innings to claim a 5-3 lead. Redshirt freshman Daniel Ross (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) drove in the tying run with a RBI-single and sophomore Josh Lagein’s (Devils Lake, N.D.) two-run single gave the Sioux their first advantage of the game.
After the Jackrabbits tied the game at 5-5 with three consecutive singles to open the fourth inning, Lind settled down to retire the next nine SDSU hitters in order.
Cook’s first blast was a three-run shot and broke the 5-5 tie in the fifth as he deposited the first pitch he saw from reliever Blaine Alberta over the right field fence.
Marek’s second RBI single of the game scored Sadler, who doubled to lead off the frame, and pushed the Sioux lead to 9-5 in the sixth. Cook stepped up and for the second straight at-bat laced the first pitch he saw over the right field fence to put UND ahead 11-5.
The Sioux tacked on one more run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Gudmunson (Minot, N.D) to cap the scoring at 12-5. Gudmunson went 2-for-3 and scored two runs to extend his hitting streak to six games.
Lind allowed a single in the seventh, but was able to wrap up the complete game and hold the Jacks off the scoreboard over the final three innings.
In game two, a five-run fourth inning proved to be the difference as the Jacks earned a split of the doubleheader.
The Sioux threatened in the first, putting runners on second and third, but SDSU starter Sam Pieczynski was able to work around the jam.
For the second straight game, the Jacks homered in the first. This time it was just a solo shot for John Lee to stake the home team to a 1-0 lead. SDSU extended the lead to 3-0 in the second on a two-run single by Zach Briggs.
Lee tripled and scored on a wild pitch, which ended the day for UND starter Zac Salfer (Sleepy Eye, Minn.), who was making his first start of the season.
Reliever Scott Eul (Rosemount, Minn.) came in for Salfer and retired the first two batters he faced to get the Sioux out the frame, trailing 4-0.
Pieczynski worked out of a jam in the third, but was unable to do so in the fourth as the Sioux came all the way back, staging a two-out, four-run rally. UND had six hits in the frame, including four consecutive with two outs on the board.
After a walk to Lagein loaded the bases, Sadler ripped a double down the rightfield line to plate two runs. Sophomore Jake Magner (Grand Rapids, Minn.) and Marek then followed with back-to-back singles to knot the game at 4-4.
The Jacks stormed right back with five unearned runs in the fourth on only two hits. After an error and two walks loaded the bases, Eul hit a batter to bring in the first run. Tony Martin then tripled to center to clear the bases and scored the fifth run on a wild pitch.
Sophomore David Spies (Grand Forks, N.D.), UND’s third pitcher of the contest , got the final out of the fourth and retired the side in order in the fifth to keep the Jacks scoreless for the first time in the game.
Sawyer hit his second homer of the doubleheader off Spies in the sixth to put SDSU ahead 10-4.
The Sioux tried to rally in the seventh pushing four runs across, but the deficit was to large to overcome. Back-to-back singles and a double by Lagein plated two runs in the seventh and forced the Jacks into a pitching change as Trever Vermeulen replaced Pieczynski with one out.
Magner and Gudmunson then hit back-to-back singles to make it a two-run contest, but Vermeulen was able to get the next two Sioux batters to finish the game.
Magner went 4-for-5 in the nightcap after seeing his 15-game hitting streak come to an end in game one. Gudmunson had three more singles in the second game to give him multiple hits in four straight and a seven-game hitting streak overall.
Eul (0-1) took the loss for the Sioux, while Pieczynski evened his record at 2-2 with the victory.
UND will host the Jackrabbits on Wednesday as the Sioux will play their home opener. First pitch of the doubleheader with SDSU is slated for 1 p.m. at Kraft Memorial Field.
Courtesy: FightingSioux.com
