SAN ANTONIO, Texas – South Dakota State set a school record by scoring 17 runs in a single inning as the Jackrabbits broke out the bats in a 19-11 victory at Incarnate Word in nonconference baseball action Tuesday afternoon at Sullivan Field.
In picking up their first win of the season, the Jackrabbits improved to 1-3 overall. UIW dropped to 2-2.
Trailing 2-1, SDSU sent 21 batters to the plate against four different Cardinal pitchers in a marathon top of the fourth inning. After Nate Wachter was hit by a pitch and Travis Finney singled to right field, catcher Luke Jones gave the Jackrabbits the lead for good with a three-run home run to left field.
Each of the first 12 batters of the inning reached safely before an out was recorded, with Carter Taylor, Dayton Franke and Wachter each plating one run with a base hit and Luke Luskey delivering a two-run single as the Jackrabbit lead grew to 9-2. The next five SDSU runs all scored without a hit — four via bases-loaded walks and another when Franke was hit by a pitch with the sacks full.
Wachter delivered his second run-scoring hit of the inning, clearing the bases with a three-run double, and Finney capped the scoring by also reaching base for the third time in the frame with a bloop single that brought home Wachter.
SDSU tacked on another run in the fifth inning on an opposite-field solo home run to right by Taylor, who led the Jackrabbits’ 14-hit attack by going 4-for-6 in his first career start.
Luskey drove in the first run of the game and finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Wachter tallied four RBIs in a 2-for-5 afternoon with three runs scored.
UIW, which took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a solo home run by Kevin Ramos, also received long balls from Drake Anderson (three-run) in the seventh inning and Trent Rucker (solo) in the eighth. Rucker added a two-run single in a three-run home half of the fourth as the Cardinals collected 12 hits.
Freshman right-hander Kaden Rylance worked into the fourth inning allowing five runs on six hits. The Watertown native struck out two and walked two in his collegiate debut. Tristan Augedahl struck out three in 1 2/3 innings of relief and Jacob Sjuts finished on the mound with a perfect ninth inning that included a strikeout.
UP NEXT
The two squads close out their two-game series with a matchup at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
NOTES
- UIW leads the all-time series, 4-2
- SDSU’s previous record for most runs in an inning in a Division I game was 12 in the fifth inning of an April 10, 2010, game at Fort Wayne
- Franke was hit by a pitch three times, tying the Jackrabbit single-game mark first set by Korby Mintken versus New York Tech in 2007
- Jackrabbit third baseman Nolan Grawe walked three times and doubled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 14 games dating back to last season
- The two teams’ pitching staffs combined to issue 25 free passes — 14 by UIW (9 walks, 5 hit batters and 11 by SDSU (all bases on balls)