April 26, 2022

Photos credit by Cody Welu

MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) outscored Northwestern (Iowa) 5-0 after the game was knotted 4-4 in the top fourth inning Tuesday evening, earning a 9-4 non-conference finale victory over Northwestern (Iowa) at Flynn Field.  The Trojans tied its most wins since 2012 season with their 28th victory of the season.

Dakota State raised their overall record to 28-13 and went 3-0 record against the Red Raiders this season.  The Trojans also notched its 10th home win of the season and secured a home field winning record for the first time since 2016 season (11-8 record at Flynn Field).  Northwestern, a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference, fell to 16-25 overall record.

DSU, who secured a No. 2 seed for the upcoming North Star Athletic Association baseball postseason tournament next weekend in Forest City, Iowa, closes out their regular-season with their final conference four-game series.  The Trojans host the league's leader No. 7 ranked Bellevue (Neb.), who already clinched the NSAA regular-season title last week versus Mayville State (N.D.).  

The four-game series kick off on Thursday afternoon with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.  They are scheduled to wrap up their series on Friday with another doubleheader at 11 a.m. as part of Senior Day.

Dakota State (S.D.) 9, Northwestern (Iowa) 4 – FINAL

• Jaden Snyder led off the game with a double for the Red Raiders.  He swiped to third base.  Sam Stanford followed up with an RBI single to score Snyder as NWIA earned its first lead of the game at 1-0.
• After Stanford advanced to second base after Mason Porepp's ground out, Eli Rash reached safely on base with a single and advanced Stanford to third base.  Stanford scored home on the same play as the Red Raiders extended their lead to 2-0 in the top first with two outs.
• The Trojans answered with a run in the bottom half of the first frame, sparked by Ryan McDaniel's lead-off double.  Bennett Osborn, courtesy runner for McDaniel, advanced to third after NWIA's wild pitch.
• The Red Raiders committed another wild pitch to allow Osborn to score home as DSU trimmed their deficit to 2-1 in the bottom first.
• Northwestern extended their lead to 3-1 with two outs in the top second, thanks to Mo Watson's RBI double to score Stanford (who reached on base by a fielder's choice).
• The Trojans scored three times in the bottom second.  Chris Burke led off with a walk and advanced to second base after Seth Altwine's single.  Logan Hunt added another single to set up a bases loaded situation for the Trojans.
• McDaniel produced an RBI fielder's choice to score Burke as the Trojans trailed 3-2 in the bottom second.
• Dakota State scored on the next two plays for a 4-3 lead with back-to-back RBI singles by Walker Hultgren and Kameron Bryant, scoring Altwine and Osborn (courtesy runner for McDaniel).
• The Red Raiders tied the game with a run scored in the top fourth.  Braden Kalvelage reached safely on base caused by a defensive error by the Trojans.  He swiped to second base.
• Stanford hit an RBI single to score Kalvelage as NWIA knotted the game at 4-4 in the top fourth.
• McDaniel kicked off the bottom fourth with a lead-off single.  Hultgren followed up with a single and advanced courtesy runner Osborn to second base. 
• Mason Macaluso blasted a 3-run home run to left field as the Trojans earned a 7-4 lead with one out, scoring Osborn and Hultgren.  It was Macaluso's tenth home run of the season (tied for third most home runs in a single season) and his 16th career home run at Dakota State.
• Dakota State plated two more runs in the bottom seventh frame as their lead grew by five runs.  Jace Pribyl led off with a double.  Alec Gannon, pinch runner for Pribyl, advanced to third base on a wild pitch by a wild pitch by the Red Raiders.
• Logan Hunt recorded a walk for the Trojans, while Gannon scored home on the same play caused by NWIA's wild pitch to give DSU an 8-4 lead.
• Hunt advanced to second base by another wild pitch by Northwestern.  Josh Addington followed up with a walk.  McDaniel drilled an RBI double to score Hunt (Addington advanced to third baes) as the Trojans ballooned their lead to 9-4.
• Dakota State secured the game in the ninth inning as Northwestern left a runner on base.
• DSU outhit NWIA 9-7 in the game.  The Trojans left eight runners on base compared to the Red Raiders seven runners left on base.
• McDaniel fueled the Trojans' offense attack with two doubles and two RBIs for Dakota State.  He also had a walk.  Osborn scored three runs.  Hultgren added two singles and an RBI.
• Macaluso had a home run and collected a game-high three RBIs for DSU.  Bryant had a hit and an RBI.  Altwine, Hunt, and Pribyl each had a hit.  Burke, Altwine, Hunt, and Addington each reached on base by a walk.
• Stanford was 2-of-5 at the plate with two singles and two RBIs for Northwestern.  Snyder added a double, single, and walk.  Watson had a double and an RBI.  Eli Rash and Isaac Thurm each had hit.
• Snyder, Stanford, and Kalvelage each swiped one base for the Red Raiders.
• Grant Svikulis started the game on the pitching mound for Dakota State.  He worked for the first four innings and allowed four runs (two unearned) on five hits.  He recorded five strikeouts.  Nicholai Arbach (W, 4-2) earned the victory after tossing five shutout innings in relief.  He limited the Red Raiders to two hits and struck out six NWIA batters.  He retired 11 straight Red Raider batters from the sixth inning through the ninth inning with two outs.
• Northwestern used nine different pitchers in the game.  They combined by allowing nine runs (one unearned) on nine hits and recorded nine strikeouts.  Brady Nicolet recorded the setback, despite giving up three runs on two hits in the bottom fourth frame.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director