Late comeback gives Blue Hawks split with Viterbo on Saturday

Sagan Osborne | Dickinson State Sports Information Director

La Crosse, Wis. – A game two comeback earned Dickinson State a split with Viterbo University on Saturday in La Crosse. The series was originally scheduled to be played in Dickinson, but weather forced the games to be moved to Wisconsin, so the Blue Hawks are the designated home team for the series.

GAME 1

The Blue Hawks took an early 2-0 lead when Richie Cortese scored on a passed ball and Alberto Nieto doubled home Balas Buckmaster, but Viterbo got a run back on a solo home run in the top of the third inning.

Buckmaster got the run back with a solo home run of his own in the bottom of the fourth inning to give DSU a two-run lead again, but Viterbo took advantage of some Blue Hawk miscues in the top of the fifth inning to score three runs and take a 4-3 lead.

Viterbo added an insurance run in the top of the eight inning and held the Blue Hawks scoreless the rest of the way to steal the game one win.

GAME 2

Viterbo jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Blue Hawks were able to complete the comeback in game two, winning 8-4 to earn the split on the day.

After the three-run top of the first inning by the V-Hawks, the Blue Hawks loaded the bases with one out, but only managed a sacrifice fly by Wyatt Wilharm to make it 3-1 Viterbo.

Back-to-back walks by Kael Richards and Cade Ostenson started the Blue Hawk second inning, and both were moved up 90 feet by an Alberto Nieto sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch scored Richards with one out, but DSU again couldn't cash in on a bases loaded one out situation leaving the score 3-2 Viterbo.

VU extended their lead to 4-2 with an RBI single in the third inning, but Cooper Van Luchene was able to strand a runner at third base to keep the deficit at two. Nieto led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his third home run of the year to get DSU back to within one, but the next three batters were retired in order to end the inning.

With one out in the sixth inning, Wilharm walked and Buckmaster singled to give DSU runners at the corners with one out. A bloop single by Kael Richards scored Wilharm and tied the game at 4-4. One batter later, Cade Ostenson blasted a two-run home run through the wind to right field to give the Blue Hawks their first lead of the game, 6-4.

Kaiden Reeve came off the bench in the sixth inning and connected for a two-run home run of his own giving DSU some much needed insurance heading into the final frame. Gabe Lundbeck worked around a bases loaded jam in the seventh to nail down the win for DSU.