Comeback comes up just short as baseball falls to Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, ND - The Dickinson State baseball team made a furious comeback attempt, but was unable to overcome an early 11-0 deficit as they fell 13-10 to the University of Jamestown on Wednesday night.

The hosts from Jamestown, ND jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning and tacked on five more in the second inning to put the Blue Hawk baseball team in a huge hole early. However, in the top of the third inning, Dickinson State began to chip away at the lead. Carlos Molina Jr. started the inning with a single on the first pitch, and Jacob Clinton followed with a homerun over the right field fence to bring the score to 11-2. Two singles and a Jamestown error loaded the bases for the Blue Hawks with one out. Robert Encinas drove a ball deep in the right center field gap, but it was ultimately caught at the fence for a sacrifice fly, making the score 11-3.

A perfect bottom of the third inning by DSU relief pitcher Cooper Van Luchene brought the Blue Hawks back to the plate still trailing by eight runs. Back-to-back walks of Molina Jr. and Kobe Krenz, followed by an RBI double by Clinton started the Dickinson State fourth. After a strikeout made it runners on second and third with one out, Dawson Cortese hammered the first pitch he saw deep over the center field fence for a 3-run homerun, getting the Blue Hawks to within 4 at 11-7. Van Luchene worked around a lead off walk by inducing a 5-4-3 double play for his second consecutive shutdown inning.

Neither team would score in the fifth inning, but Jamestown was able to stretch their lead to 12-7, scoring on a wild pitch after two walks gave the Jimmies their first base runners in three innings. In the top of the seventh inning, the Blue Hawks would answer right back, loading the bases with no one out. Clay Prell pinch hit with one out and lined out to center field for a sacrifice fly, and Richie Cortese scored on a passed ball to bring the Blue Hawks within three, 12-9.

Jamestown got one back in the bottom half of the inning on a solo homerun to extend their lead to 13-9 headed to the 8th inning. Dickinson State again had an answer scoring on their third sacifice fly of the day, this time from Dawson Cortese, to make it a 13-10 ballgame, but that was as close as they would get as neither team scored the rest of the way, resulting in the final score.

Overall, the Blue Hawks outhit the Jimmies 13-11. Clinton led the way for Dickinson State going 4-5 with a HR, 2B, and 3 RBI. Richie Cortese was 3-5 with a double, Molina Jr. went 2-4, and Dawson Cortese went 1-4 with 4 RBI to help power the Blue Hawk offense.

Cooper Van Luchene gave Dickinson State a chance going 3.2 innings with one run on one hit in the middle innings, and Gabe Lundbeck went 1.2 innings with four strikeouts on the back end to punctuate a strong relief effort by the Blue Hawks pitching staff.

WHATS NEXT

The Blue Hawks will conclude their fall season with a Saturday double-header against NSAA rival Mayville State, starting at 1:00 pm MT, at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark.