April 28, 2023

BELLEVUE, Neb. – The North Star Athletic Association baseball regular-season title will be decided this weekend as Dakota State (S.D.) and NAIA's nationally ranked No. 5 Bellevue (Neb.) opened their four-game series Friday at John Stella Field at Brown Park.  It took 15 innings to decide the series opener, won by the Trojans 9-6.  The Bruins held off DSU's late comeback in the second game 6-4 to earn a doubleheader split.

Dakota State earned their first road victory over Bellevue since April 6, 2012.  It was the second straight year that the Trojans earned a victory against NAIA's Top 10 ranked team of Bellevue (last season DSU defeated No. 7 ranked Bellevue at Flynn Field). 

The Trojans are 34-14 overall record and 24-2 record in the North Star Athletic Association contest, holding a one-game lead in the standings.  The Bruins are 39-8 overall record and 22-3 NSAA conference record.

Both teams conclude their regular-season schedule Saturday with another doubleheader at 12 p.m. and determine the North Star conference regular-season title.

Game 1 – Dakota State (S.D.) 9, (5) Bellevue (Neb.) 6 – FINAL/15 innings

• Dakota State jumped to a 6-0 lead early in the game, while Bellevue answered back with six runs.  The game went into extra innings and remained scoreless for five more innings until the Trojans tallied three runs to secure the North Star Athletic Association four-game series opening victory.
• DSU opened the first inning with a run scored.  Ryan McDaniel led off with a walk.  Daniel Lesher, courtesy runner for McDaniel, advanced to second base after a wild pitch by the Bruins.
• The Trojans led 1-0 as Walker Hultgren hit an RBI single to score Lesher in the top first inning.
• Dakota State opened the top fourth inning with three straight singles from Hultgren, Jeremy Green, and Mason Macaluso.  Chris Burke smashed a grand slam to balloon DSU's lead to 5-0.
• Green was hit-by-pitch with one out in the top fourth inning for DSU.  He advanced to third base after a failed pickoff attempt by the Bruins, committing a defensive miscue. 
• Macaluso followed up with an RBI sacrifice fly to score Green as DSU's lead grew to 6-0 in the top fourth.
• The Bruins snapped their scoring drought with a 2-run home run by Logan Grant in the bottom half of the fourth inning, trailing 6-2 to the Trojans.
• Bellevue trimmed their deficit to 6-4 in the bottom sixth frame after back-to-back solo home runs by Conner Barnett and Jake Lacey.
• After Anthony Lind's lead-off single in the bottom seventh, Mathieu Sirois blasted a 2-run home run as the Bruins tied the game at 6-6.
• Dakota State left runners on third and second bases in the top ninth inning and could not convert their scoring opportunities.  Bellevue left a runner on first base in the bottom half of the ninth, extending the game into extra innings.
• The Trojans halted the Bruins to score in the bottom 10th inning with runners on third and second bases.
• Both DSU and BU could not get past second base from the 11th through the 14th innings. 
• Burke led off the top 15th inning with a single for the Trojans.  He advanced to second base after a sacrifice bunt by Dalton Nelson.  Dawson Portner followed up with a single.
• McDaniel hit an RBI double with two outs to score Burke, regaining a 7-6 lead in the top 15th for Dakota State (Portner advanced to third base).  Hultgren followed up with a 2-RBI single to score Portner and courtesy runner Lesher as the Trojans' lead grew to 9-6.
• Bellevue left two runners on base when the game ended in the bottom 15th inning, securing the victory for Dakota State.
• The Trojans outhit the Bruins 16-13 in the game.  BU committed two defensive errors while DSU did not commit an error.  Dakota State left 13 runners on base compared to Bellevue 11 runners left on base.
• Burke had a home run, single, and drove in a game-high four runs for Dakota State.  Hultgren added three singles and three RBIs.  McDaniel recorded a double, single, two walks, and an RBI.  Green collected three singles and scored twice.  Macaluso had a hit, two walks, and an RBI.
• Portner registered three singles for DSU.  Hakeem Yatim had two singles. 
• Barnett had a home run, two singles, and an RBI for Bellevue.  Grant added a home run, two walks, and two RBIs.  Kanta Kobayashi recorded three singles.  Nick Grade and Lind each had a hit.  Sirois tallied two hits and two RBIs.  Drew Staley recorded a single.
• Sam Tyrpa started the game on the pitching mound for Dakota State.  He worked for 6 2/3 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits.  He registered five strikeouts.  JD Kirchner (W, 6-2) earned the victory in relief after tossing 8 1/3 scoreless innings.  He yielded the Bruins to six hits and struck out a season-high 12 times. 
• Blake Crippen pitched seven innings for Bellevue, giving up six runs (one unearned) on eight hits.  He recorded five strikeouts.  Jared Eifler worked 1 1/3 innings in relief, issuing two walks.  Parker McMan (L, 3-3) took the loss after pitching 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and recording five strikeouts.
• It was the sixth straight game Dakota State's pitching team registered double digits strikeouts (17 strikeouts).

Game 2 – (5) Bellevue (Neb.) 6, Dakota State (S.D.) 4 – FINAL

• Bellevue led 5-1 after four innings in the second game of the doubleheader and held off Dakota State's late comeback to earn a doubleheader split.
• After two scoreless innings, the Trojans grabbed the first lead of the game in the top third.  Portner hit a single with one out.  He advanced to second base after Yatim's ground out. 
• DSU took a 1-0 lead as McDaniel drilled an RBI double to score Portner in the top third.
• Kobayashi led off the bottom third with a double and advanced to third base after DSU's balk.  Lacey produced an RBI ground out to score Kobasyashi as the Bruins knotted the game at 1-1.
• Staley hit an RBI single in the bottom fourth inning as BU earned a 2-1 lead.  The Bruins added three more runs to extend their lead to 5-1.
• McDaniel and Hultgren hit back-to-back singles with one out in the top sixth inning for DSU.  Courtesy runner Lesher advanced to third, while Hultgren advanced to second after BU's wild pitch.  Lesher scored home on another wild pitch by the Bruins as the Trojans trailed 5-2.
• Tradd Richardson recorded an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom sixth as Bellevue extended their lead to 6-2.
• Jace Pribyl led off the top seventh inning with a single.  Cade Wenninger blasted a 2-run home run and scored Seth Altwine, pinch runner for Pribyl, as DSU trimmed BU's lead to 6-4.
• Dakota State left a runner on first base when the game ended, securing the victory for Bellevue.
• DSU outhit BU 8-7 in the game.  The Trojans committed three defensive errors compared to the Bruins zero miscues.
• McDaniel was 2-of-4 at the plate with a double, single, and an RBI for Dakota State.  Wenninger added a home run and drove in two runs.  Hultgren, Green, Pribyl, Portner, and Yatim each had a hit.
• Kobayashi had a double, single, and scored twice for Bellevue.  Richardson and Lacey each collected two RBIs.  Staley had a single and an RBI.  Nick Grade had a double.  Lind and Sirois each had a hit.
• Luke Guest (L, 5-4) took the setback on the pitching mound for DSU.  He tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed six runs (two unearned) on seven hits.  He registered four strikeouts.  Aiden Urbom pitched the final out of the bottom sixth inning in relief.
• Dustin Schorie (W, 7-0) pitched a complete game victory for BU.  He gave up four runs on eight hits.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director