February 10, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dakota State (S.D.) ended their drought by winning the baseball season-opening game for the first time since 2016 season with a 1-0 shutout victory host-team Avila (Mo.) Friday afternoon at Urban Youth Academy.  The Eagles shut down the Trojans 5-0 in the second game to earn a doubleheader split.

Dakota State is 1-1 overall record.  Avila, a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), ended their six-game losing skid in the second game to improve their overall record to 2-7.

Both teams wrap up their four-game series Saturday with another doubleheader at The Z on the campus of Avila.  First game is set for 12 p.m.

Game 1:  Dakota State (S.D.) 1, Avila (Mo.) 0 – FINAL

• The only run of the game came in the top first inning, thanks to Walker Hultgren's solo home run blast to right field.  The Trojans led 1-0 with one out.
• It was Hultgren's seventh career home run at Dakota State.
• Trojan Sam Tyrpa (W, 1-0) held the Eagles to no hits through the first 5 1/3 innings of the game.  Landon Vahle hit a single in the bottom sixth inning for the only hit of the game for Avila.
• Cole Westerlund (S, 1) tossed a scoreless seventh inning to earn his first save of the season for DSU.  The Eagles left one runner on base in the final inning to secure the victory for the Trojans.
• Hultgren finished the game with a home run, RBI, and a run scored for Dakota State.  Chris Burke added two singles.  Jeremy Green had a double.  Dawson Portner had a hit.
• Vahle led the Eagles with a single.  Kurt Trotter recorded two walks.
• Tyrpa finished the game by tossing six innings on the pitching mound in his first career start for DSU.  He struck out 10 AU's batters.  Westerlund pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief.
• Jarret Dotson (L, 0-3) pitched a complete game, despite the setback for Avila.  He gave up a run on five hits.  He struck out nine DSU's batters.

Game 2:  Avila (Mo.) 5, Dakota State (S.D.) 0 – FINAL

• The Eagles outhit the Trojans 10-3 in the second game of the doubleheader, highlighted by four-run second inning.
• Green hit a double with two outs in the top first inning and could not convert the scoring opportunity for Dakota State.
• Avila produced three consecutive singles in the bottom first frame (Jacob Nevels, Trotter, and Paxton Andrade), but Dakota State's defense did not allow a run.
• The Eagles produced a four-run second inning, ignited by AJ Riley's RBI triple to score Isaiah Alvarez who reached on base with a single with one out (AU led 1-0).
• Avila made it 2-0 in the bottom second frame when Vahle hit a two-out RBI single to score Riley.
• Nevels hit a single to advance Vahle to second base for the Eagles.  Trotter reached safely on base by DSU's defensive error, allowing Nevels and Vahle to score as AU extended their lead to 4-0.
• Avila ballooned their lead to 5-0 in the bottom sixth after Vahle's RBI single.
• Dakota State was unable to score in the final inning as they left a runner on base, securing the win for the Eagles.
• Green led the Trojans with a double.  Ryan McDaniel and Hakeem Yatim each added a hit.  Hultgren and Burke each registered a walk.
• Vahle went 2-of-4 at the plate with two singles and drove in two runs for Avila.  Nevels added two singles and a run scored.  Riley had a triple, RBI, and a run scored.  Trotter, Andrade, Ricky Dober, Alvarez, and Reyes Willis each had a hit.
• JD Kirchner (L, 0-1) took the loss after tossing two innings.  He gave up four runs (two unearned) on seven hits.  Grant Svikulis worked for four innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits.  He registered five strikeouts.
• Briley Burrow (W, 1-0) earned the victory after tossing five scoreless innings.  He yielded the Trojans to three hits and recorded five strikeouts.  Jack Dotterer tossed two shutout innings in relief and had three strikeouts.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director