April 28, 2022

MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) played its final home regular-season baseball contests Friday at Flynn Field, hosting nationally ranked No. 7 Bellevue (Neb.).  The Bruins held off the Trojans 5-3 in the first game and completed its doubleheader sweep by winning the second game by the score of 15-0.  Bellevue won the North Star Athletic Association four-game series finale by winning three times out of four games.

Dakota State concluded its regular-season schedule with an overall record of 29-16, the most overall wins since 2007 season (program history 38 wins).  It was the first time since 2009-10 season that DSU produced its winning record (24-20 overall record).    

The Trojans finished its NSAA conference schedule with 15-9 record, the most NSAA conference wins since the league was formed in 2013-14.  Dakota State also finished its home schedule with an 11-7 record, matching the most home wins since 2016 (11-8 record). 

Bellevue lifted their overall record to 41-10 and finished their league schedule with 25-2 record.  The Bruins already secured its top seed for the upcoming conference tournament.

Dakota State honored their seven seniors after the completion of the home regular-season finale.  The seven seniors that played their last games at the Flynn Field are Devin DeBoer, Alec Gannon, Carver Hultgren, David Kirby, Jackson O'Neal, Cameron Pitts, and Kahlil Tilbury.

Dakota State will be the No. 2 seed in the NSAA Baseball Postseason Tournament, which starts next weekend in Forest City, Iowa, hosted by Waldorf (Iowa).  The pairings and times will be announced after the conclusion of the NSAA conference schedule on Sunday late afternoon.  Stay tuned to the DSU Athletics website on dsuathletics.com for more information on the tournament's schedule.

Game 1 – (7) Bellevue (Neb.) 5, Dakota State (S.D.) 3 – FINAL

• Dakota State grabbed its first lead of the game in the bottom second inning.  Jace Pribyl hit a single with one out.  He advanced to second base after BU's wild pitch.
• Seth Altwine produced an RBI double with two outs, scoring Pribyl to give DSU an 1-0 lead in the bottom second frame.
• Bellevue produced a pair of doubles in the top fourth frame by Brenton Davis and Alex Stufft.  Stufft produced an RBI to score Davis as the Bruins tied the game at 1-1.
• BU earned its first lead of the game at 2-1 in the top fifth inning as Mathieu Sirois hit a lead-off home run.
• Sirois added another lead-off home run in the top seventh as Bellevue extended their lead to 3-1.
• With Kanta Kobayashi on second base with two outs in the top seventh, Alec Ackerman hit a 2-run home run to widen Bellevue's lead to 5-1.
• Dakota State mounted a comeback in the bottom eighth inning by opening a bases loaded situation.  Altwine and Braxton Lacher led off with back-to-back singles followed by O'Neal walk.
• Chris Burke hit an RBI single to score Altwine as DSU trailed 5-2 in the bottom eighth with no outs.
• Walker Hultgren followed up with an RBI walk to score courtesy runner Bennett Osborn (for catcher Lacher) as the Trojans cut the Bruins' lead to 5-3.
• Bellevue made a pitcher change and retired the final three batters in the bottom eighth inning, as Dakota State could not convert their scoring chances with bases full.
• The Trojans left a runner on base in the final inning as the Bruins secured the victory.
• BU outhit DSU 11-8 in the game.  The Bruins left nine runners on base compared to the Trojans six runners left on base.
• Altwine was 2-of-4 at the plate with a double, single, and RBI for Dakota State.  Burke added two singles and an RBI.  W. Hultgren had a double, RBI, and walk.
• Mason Macaluso, Lacher, and Pribyl each added a hit for the Trojans.  O'Neal recorded a walk.
• Sirois led the Bruins with two solo home runs and two RBIs.  Ackerman added a home run, double, and two RBIs.  Stufft had two doubles and an RBI.  Davis had a double.  Conner Barnett and Zach Diehl each registered a single.
• Mitsuki Shimonishi (L, 5-3) recorded the setback for the Trojans, despite tossing 6 2/3 innings.  He allowed five runs on nine hits and recorded five strikeouts.  Tilbury tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, yielding two hits.
• McGrane Pledger (W, 8-3) earned the victory for the Bruins.  He worked for seven-plus innings and gave up three runs on eight hits.  He tallied seven strikeouts.  Easton Brinton (S, 1) earned the save after tossing two shutout innings in relief.  He had three strikeouts.

Game 2 – (7) Bellevue (Neb.) 15, Dakota State (S.D.) 0 – FINAL

• Bellevue scored at least a run in every inning, except the third inning, to fuel to a 15-0 shutout victory over Dakota State in the finale.  The Trojans were held to four hits in the game.
• Josh Vaughan opened with a 2-RBI single to give BU a 2-0 lead.
• Bellevue produced a five-run second inning as their lead grew to 7-0, capped by a grand slam by Davis.  The Bruins made it 8-0 in the top fourth inning.
• BU added three runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Ackerman's 2-run home run for a 11-0 lead.
• Bellevue scored a combined four runs in the final two innings of the game, capped by Nathan Sprenger's 3-RBI double for a 15-0 lead.
• Dakota State left a runner on base in the final inning, despite a single from Gannon.
• The Bruins pounded out 14 hits compared to the Trojans five hits.  DSU committed four defensive errors in the game.
• Kameron Bryant went 2-of-3 at the plate with a double and single for the Trojans.  Altwine added a double.  Gannon and O'Neal each tallied a single.  Pribyl recorded a walk.
• Vaughan led Bellevue's offense with a double, two singles, and drove in two runs.  Davis had a home run and collected four RBIs.  Ackerman had two hits and two RBIs.  Sprenger had a double and three RBIs. 
• Nicholai Arbach (L, 4-3) took the loss on the pitching mound for Dakota State after working for one-plus inning.  C. Hultgren, Pitts, DeBoer, and Jared Urbach each pitched in relief.
• Blake Crippen (W, 10-2) earned the victory after tossing six innings.  He limited the Trojans to four hits and struck out DSU's batters seven times.  Matt Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief, giving up a hit.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director