Nate Wachter went 4-for-4 with two of South Dakota State’s season-high five home runs to help lead the Jackrabbit baseball team to a 19-1, seven-inning victory over Minnesota Morris Wednesday afternoon at Erv Huether Field.
SDSU, which completed its longest homestand of the season at nine games, improved to 16-25 overall. UMM dropped to 17-16 on the season.
A redshirt freshman from Blair, Nebraska, Wachter ended the day a triple away from the cycle with seven runs batted in, starting with a two-run double in the third inning. He hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, then added a three-run blast to left field as part of a six-run fifth inning, when SDSU put the 10-run rule into effect.
Luke Luskey immediately followed Wachter’s second home run with a homer to straight-away center field and freshman second baseman Grant Sorensen apped a career day of his own with a two-run homer three batters later. Sorensen tallied three hits and six RBIs after plating two with a single up the middle in the third inning and a two-run double in the fourth.
Nolan Grawe started the Jackrabbit barrage with a solo home run two batters into the game and Mason Lang finished off the scoring with a three-run, pinch-hit blast in the bottom of the sixth.
The Cougars’ lone run came in the fourth inning, when Ryan McGie delivered a double to the left-center gap that scored Tyler Moriarty.
Senior Matthew Werk made his first career start on the mound for the Jackrabbits and was credited with the win after pitching three scoreless innings. He struck out three and allowed only one hit in facing the minimum in his pre-determined time on the hill.
SDSU finished with a 19-2 advantage in hits, seven of which went for extra bases for the Jackrabbits.
ON DECK
The Jackrabbits return to Summit League action with a three-game weekend series at North Dakota State. Friday’s opener is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, North Dakota.
NOTES
• SDSU leads the all-time series, 32-5, and has won the last 12 meetings
• The Jackrabbits and Cougars last played in 2002
• Wachter became the third Jackrabbit player with a two-homer game this season, joining Luskey (March 21 vs. North Dakota State – Game 1) and Luke Evenson (April 22 vs. Briar Cliff)
• Wachter’s seven RBIs and 11 total bases were both the most by an SDSU player this season
• The back-to-back home runs by Wachter and Luskey marked the first time the Jackrabbits accomplished the feat since March 1, 2025, at Sacramento State (Luskey, Bryce Ronken)
• Luskey homered for the second day in a row and now has 30 for his career, putting him one away from moving in the SDSU all-time top 10
• Sorensen extended his hitting streak to five games and is batting .667 (8-for-12) with 11 RBIs in that span
• Carter Taylor singled twice to reach base safely for a team-best 20th straight game during his freshman season
• The Jackrabbits turned three double plays in a game for the third time this season
• SDSU completed the homestand with a 5-4 record and allowed a combined two hits over the last two games