Jackrabbits visit the Herd to Close the Regular Season

[Elvis was a Bison]

IT"S TIME!!!

Here is what the immediate future has in store for us based on the teams' websites:

From gobison.com:

[I]"THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (20-27, 14-6 Summit) baseball team is set to wrap up regular season play hosting South Dakota State (21-24, 12-9 Summit) for a three-game series beginning on Thursday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., at Newman Outdoor Field.

COVERAGE
GoBison.com: Live statistics and video links are available on GoBison.com. The series will also be available on Bison 1660 and WDAY Xtra (only Thursday and Friday).

[DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT HERE COME THE BISON
After starting the season with a 1-16 overall record and battling through a 13-game losing streak, the Bison have bounced back with an 19-11 mark over their last 30 games. NDSU has also assembled a 14-6 mark in conference play and enter the week positioned second in the Summit League. The Bison have won nine of their last 10 games.

SATURDAY IS SENIOR DAY
NDSU will recognize eight seniors on in the series finale on Saturday. Terrell Huggins, Peter Brookshaw, Stephen Lund, Druw Sackett, Chase Nett, Max Loven, Shea Zetterman and Tristen Roehrich will all be honored pregame.

THE SERIES VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
This will be the 206th all-time meeting between NDSU and SDSU dating back to 1956. The Bison are 8-2 against the Jackrabbits over the last 10 meetings. However, SDSU leads the all-time series, 125-80. Earlier this season, the Bison edged the Jackrabbits, 5-4, behind a combined 14 strikeout performance from Tristen Roehrich and Parker Puetz. Roehrich fired nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings, while Puetz tossed five over the final 3.0 frames.

LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will host the Summit League Tournament next week at Newman Outdoor Field beginning on Tuesday, May 24. The full bracket will be announced following the completion of games this weekend"./I]

From gojacks.com:

"The South Dakota State baseball team completes the 2023 regular season this weekend with a three-game series at rival North Dakota State.

Games Thursday and Friday are slated for 6:30 p.m. starts at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, North Dakota, with first pitch for Saturday's series finale set for 1 p.m. Local radio coverage of all three games will be available on KJJQ 910 AM with video streaming of the series provided by WDAY Xtra.

SDSU enters the series with a 21-24 overall record, including a 12-9 mark in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits currently stand third in the league regular season race, but would move into the second spot with a sweep of the three-game set. SDSU clinched a spot in next week's four-team Summit League Baseball Championship by winning two of three games in a weekend series against Northern Colorado. The Jackrabbits opened the current week with a 9-6 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday.

North Dakota State, meanwhile, comes into the weekend with a 20-27 overall record and a second-place mark of 14-6 in The Summit League. The Bison split last weekend against Omaha in a series that was reduced to two games due to inclement weather.

Updates of Jackrabbit baseball also are available throughout the season via Twitter (@GoJacksBaseball) and through GoJacks.com.

THE SERIES: Thursday's series opener will mark the 206th meeting on the baseball diamond between SDSU and North Dakota State. In the series that dates back to 1956, the Jackrabbits hold a 125-80 lead.

Since the two programs joined The Summit League at the start of the 2008 season, the Bison hold a narrow 36-35 edge in league regular season games. NDSU won two of the three games played March 31-April 1 in a series that was moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska.

The two squads split a March 31 doubleheader at Doc Ross Field on the Iowa Western Community College campus, with the Bison taking the opener, 10-2, and the Jackrabbits pulling out a 9-8 victory in Game 2.

Cade Feeney pitched seven strong innings for the Bison in the Game 1 victory and the Bison got a boost offensively from Peter Brookshaw, who hit a two-run home run in the third inning and added a double.

In Game 2, the Jackrabbits built a 5-0 lead through two innings thanks in large part to a grand slam by Ryan McDonald.

NDSU stormed back to tie the game at 5-all and again at 6-all behind home runs from Druw Sackett and James Dunlap. However, Thatcher Kozal's three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth proved to be the difference.

The scene shifted to Nebraska-Omaha's Tal Anderson Field for the series finale and this time the Bison came away with the one-run victory, 5-4. NDSU grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning before the Jackrabbits responded with three in the home half of the inning, the last two runs scoring on a home run by Cade Stuff.

A two-run double by Stephen Lund in the third inning and a solo homer by Sackett in the fifth put the Bison in front 5-3. The final Jackrabbit run was courtesy of McDonald's second home run of the series, a solo shot to right-center in the bottom of the seventh.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some quick notes about the Jackrabbit baseball team heading into this week's series at North Dakota State:
Due to inclement weather and unplayable field conditions, the Jackrabbits played only one game at their home ballpark — Erv Huether Field — this season. SDSU played seven games across town at Bob Shelden Field and went 6-1 in those contests, including sweeping Summit League series from Omaha (April 14-16) and St. Thomas (April 23-24). The Jackrabbits also went 3-0 in games played in Sioux Falls, including sweeping a May 14 doubleheader from Northern Colorado.
SDSU put together an 11-game winning streak from April 9-26 that stands as the longest in program history during the Division I era (since 2005). The Jacks outscored the opposition, 119-48, and hit 31 home runs during their 11-game winning streak.
Catcher Ryan McDonald suffered a season-ending knee injury in the April 29 game at Oral Roberts. At the time of his injury, McDonald ranked second among NCAA Division I players with a .929 slugging percentage, while also ranking third in on-base percentage (.575) and 19th with 17 home runs, although he ranked eighth in home runs per game (.47).
McDonald became the first Jackrabbit player in the Division I era to record double figures for home runs (17) and stolen bases (11) in the same season. It had been 31 years since any Jackrabbit player reached those numbers, when Jon Crow (15 homers, 16 steals) and Greg Endres (10 homers, 12 steals) both accomplished the feat in 1992.
The Jackrabbits have hit six grand slams this season, with Luke Ira hitting his second of the season in Game 2 of the May 14 doubleheader versus Northern Colorado. McDonald and Nic Nelson also have hit two grand slams this season.
Nelson connected on four long balls in the May 14 doubleheader versus Northern Colorado, hitting one in the opener and three in Game 2. Nelson became the third Jackrabbit in the Summit League era (since 2008) to hit three home runs in a game, joining Joel Blake (April 24, 2009, at Western Illinois) and Landon Badger (April 24, 2009, versus North Dakota State). Nelson also doubled in Game 2 to give him 14 total bases, which stands as the most by a Jackrabbit player in a Division I game."

[Elvis was a Bison]

Game one goes to the Jacks 6-5, as the Bison bullpen again proves to lack the depth needed to become a reliable contributor to a championship run. NDSU starter Parker Puetz went 5 strong innings and held the Rabbits scoreless until he was replaced in the top of the sixth with the Herd leading 4-0. Reliever Wyatt Nelson had a nightmare type of appearance, as he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits, issued 2 walks, and added a wild pitch for good measure in only 2/3 of an inning. Reese Ligtenberg came on to retire the side, but the damage was done, and the Bison trailed for the remainder of the game, with each side trading runs in the 7th to reach the final score.

SDSU (22-24) (13-9): 6 runs on 11 hits, with no errors and 12 LOB
NDSU (20-28) (14-7): 5 runs on 9 hits, with no errors and 8 LOB

Batteries:

NDSU: Parker Puetz, Wyatt Nelson (6), Reese Ligtenberg (6), Joey Danielson (8) and Will Busch
SDSU: Alex Clemons, Brady Hawkins (3), Dylan Driessen (6), Eli Sundquist (7), Ryan Bourassa (8) and Dagen Schramm

WP: Brady Hawkins (2-4)
LP: Wyatt Nelson (0-2)
Save: Ryan Bourassa: (8)


Home runs:
NDSU - Druw Sackett (10) - solo to left in the 5th.
SDSU - None.

Bison: Kyle Law 2-3. 2B, 2RBI. Druw Sackett 2-5 HR, 1 RBI. James Dunlap 2-5, 1 RBI. Jack Steil 3B, 1RBI.
Jacks: Drew Beazley, 2-2, 2B, 3 RBI. Cade Stuff 2-4. Reece Anderson 2-5, 1RBI. Nic Nelson 2-5. Dawson Parry 1 RBI. Luke IRA 1 RBI.

Bison need 1 win in the final 2 games to finish the regular season in second place in the final standings and gain the #2 seed in next week's Summit League Tournament. (Not that anything changes, as the Bison and Jackrabbits will match-up in the first round whether they finish second or third.) The Friday game is set for 6:30 at Newman Outdoor Field.

[land grant bison]

Tuned into WDAYxtra…4 - 0 bison bottom of the 6th. NDSU’s pitcher is dealin’ right now! I think I may take in my first bison game tomorrow at this rate.

Hosting the summit league tournament seems kinda big deal. I wonder if we could get 1000 fans for a championship game??

[Elvis was a Bison]

Game 2 begins with another twist, as the Bison send #2 starter Tristen Roehrich (4-5, 4.53 ERA) (who usually pitches the Saturday game) to the hill to face Jackrabbit starter, former tight end now-pitcher Blake Kunz (1-5, 6.85 ERA). That means that if tomorrow's game becomes do-or-die for the #2 seed, Bison ace and #1 starter Cade Feeney will be available for the Herd. As with starter Parker Puetz last night, Bison starter Roehrich is on a pitch count of 40 for this evening's game. He ended the third inning with 44 pitches (30 strikes), allowing no runs on 1 hit, allowing 2 walks and striking out 6. Reliever Nolan Johnson loaded the bases with 1 out in his first inning of play but pitched his way out of the inning without surrendering a run. Johnson had an impressive outing and probably moved up on the chart of relivers to trust in the Post-season with almost a carbon copy of the start by Roehrich. He threw 53 pitches (38 strikes), allowed no runs on 5 hits, allowing no walks and also striking out 6. Not a typical finish for closer Skyler Riedinger, who lost the shutout by giving up 2 runs in the 9th, but the Bison stiffen to claim the #2 seed next week with a 5-2 win over the Jacks.

SDSU (22-25) (13-10): 2 runs on 7 hits, with 2 errors and 6 LOB
NDSU (21-28) (15-7): 5 runs on 9 hits, with no errors and 4 LOB

Batteries:

NDSU: Tristen Roehrich, Nolan Johnson (4), Shea Zetterman (7) Skyler Riedinger (9) and Stephen Lund
SDSU: Blake Kunz, Dane Toman (7) and Dagen Schramm

WP: Nolan Johnson (3-2)
LP: Blake Kunz (1-6)



Home runs:
NDSU - None
SDSU - None

Bison: James Dunlap 2-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI. Peter Brookshaw 2-4, 2 RBI. Stephen Lund 2-4. Cadyn Schwabe 1 RBI.
Jacks: Luke Ira 2-3. Dawson Parry 2-3. Cade Stuff 2-3, 2B (2). Drew Beazley 1 RBI.

The Summit League runner-up Bison go for the series win tomorrow on Senior Day, starting at 1:00 PM CDT.

[Elvis was a Bison]

The regular season ends on a winning note as the Bison score 9 runs in the bottom of the sixth and then hold on to defeat the Jackrabbits 12-9.

SDSU (22-26) (13-11): 9 runs on 13 hits, with 1 error and 8 LOB
NDSU (22-28) (16-7): 12 runs on 14 hits, with no errors and 3 LOB

Batteries:

NDSU: Max Loven, Carson Jacobs (5), Zac Endres (7), Leland Wilson (8), Hunter Rosenbaum (8) and Will Busch
SDSU: Jake Goble, Will Kent (6), Dylan Richey (6), Jack Kent (6) and Jordan Sagedahl

WP: Carson Jacobs (2-4)
LP: Jake Goble (4-3)

Home runs:
NDSU - Jack Steil solo to left field in the 4th inning.
SDSU - Luke Ira solo to left field in the 4th inning. Nic Nelson 2-run to center field in the 4th inning. Dawson Parry solo to left field in the 8th inning.

Bison: Jack Steil 2-3, HR, 1 RBI. Will Busch 2-3, 1 RBI. Stephen Lund 2-4. 2B, 2 RBI. Kyle Law 2-4. Peter Brookshaw 2-5, 1 RBI. Cadyn Schwabe 2-5, 1 RBI. James Dunlap 2B, 2 RBI. Druw Sackett 2B, 2 RBI. Carson Hake 1 RBI.
Jacks: Adam Benes 2-4. Jordan Sagedahl 2-4, 2B, 1 RBI. Luke Ira 2-5, HR, 2 RBI. Dawson Parry 2-5, HR, 1 RBI. Nic Nelson HR, 2 RBI. Cade Stuff 2B, 1 RBI. Reece Anderson 1 RBI. Luke Bellows 1 RBI

The Summit League Tournament begins on Wednesday May 24th at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, ND.