April 2, 2023

LINCOLN, Neb. – Dakota State (S.D.) continued their best start in the North Star Athletic Association baseball season, remaining undefeated with an 11-0 record after rolling past Presentation (S.D.) 15-6 to complete a rare tripleheader sweep Sunday afternoon at Den Hartog Field.  The Trojans also ballooned their winning streak to 13 games, the longest winning streak since the 2007 season when they won 22 consecutive games to start the season.

Dakota State raised their overall record to 20-12.  Presentation fell to 0-25 overall record and 0-11 record in league play.

Both teams complete their NSAA's four-game series Monday morning at 10 a.m.

Dakota State (S.D.) 15, Presentation (S.D.) 6 – FINAL

• Both Dakota State and Presentation could not score in the opening inning in the third game of the NSAA tripleheader, with each team leaving two runners on base.
• Dawson Barson led off the top second inning with a single for the Saints.  Dominic Sarmiento hit a 2-run home run, scoring Barson to give PC the first lead of the game at 2-0.
• The Trojans answered in the bottom half of the second inning with four runs to overtake the lead.  Chris Burke was hit-by-pitch to start the bottom second.  Dalton Nelson followed up with a single to advance Burke to second base.
• Dawson Porter produced a sacrifice bunt to advance Burke to third base and Nelson to second base in the bottom second for the Trojans.  DSU scored its first run of the game as Seth Altwine hit an RBI sacrifice fly to score Burke (PC led 2-1).
• Ryan McDaniel followed up with an RBI single to score Nelson as DSU knotted the game at 2-2 in the bottom second.
• Walker Hultgren and Jeremy Green hit back-to-back RBI doubles as the Trojans grabbed a 4-2 lead (courtesy runner Daniel Lesher scored after Hultgren's double).
• The Trojans added two runs in the bottom third frame to balloon DSU's lead.  Jace Pribyl led off with a single and advanced to second base after Burke's walk.  Nelson smashed a 2-RBI double to score Pribyl and Burke for 6-2 DSU lead.
• Hultgren hit a double in the bottom fourth inning.  Mason Macaluso produced an RBI single to score Hultgren to widen the Trojans' lead to 7-2.
• Presentation produced three runs in the top fifth inning, with RBI singles from Trevor Ball, Colton Schusted, and Barson.  The Saints trimmed the Trojans' lead to 7-5.
• Dakota State exploded for six runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning.  Burke ignited the Trojans' offense attack with a lead-off double.  Nelson followed up with a single and advanced Burke to third base. 
• Burke scored home after a failed pickoff attempt by the Saints, extending the Trojans' lead to 8-5 in the bottom fifth. 
• With bases loaded situation with one out, Hultgren produced a 2-RBI single to score Altwine and Cade Wenninger to balloon DSU's lead to 10-5 in the bottom fifth frame.
• Macaluso blasted a 2-RBI triple to score Lesher and Hultgren for 12-5 Trojans lead in the bottom fifth.  Pribyl followed up with an RBI single to score Macaluso for a 13-5 lead.
• McDaniel and Hultgren each added an RBI singles in the bottom sixth inning to widen Dakota State's lead to 15-5.
• Presentation scored a run in the top seventh inning caused by DSU's defensive error (DSU led 15-6).  The Saints left two runners on base when the game ended, earning the victory for the Trojans.
• DSU poured in 20 hits in the game, racking up a total of 42 hits on the same day in the tripleheader.  The Trojans also scored a total of 37 runs in three games on the same day.
• Hultgren finished the game by going 5-of-5 at the plate with two doubles, three singles, and drove in four runs for Dakota State.  Macaluso added a triple, single, and three RBIs.  Nelson was 3-of-4 with a double, two singles, and two RBIs.
• McDaniel was 2-of-4 at the plate with two singles and two RBIs for the Trojans.  Green and Pribyl each added two hits and an RBI.  Burke had a double and single.  Altwine collected a single and an RBI.  He swiped two bases.  Wenninger had a single.
• Barson was perfect at the plate, going 3-of-3 with three singles and an RBI for Presentation.  Schusted added a double, single and an RBI.  Sarmiento had a home run and two RBIs.  Ball recorded a single and an RBI.
• Will Clair (W, 1-1) earned the victory on the pitching mound for DSU.  He tossed 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs (one unearned) on six hits.  Nicholai Arbach (S, 1) earned the save after pitching 2 1/3 innings in relief.  He yielded the Saints to one unearned run on three hits and registered five strikeouts.
• Alex Tallman (L, 0-1) took the loss after pitching three innings for PC.  He allowed six runs on nine hits.  Dillon Harshman, Philip Johnson, and Oliver Lewis also pitched in relief.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director