Blue Hawks use clutch blast and huge first inning to sweep both games Sunday

Sagan Osborne | Dickinson State Sports Information Director

PARKVILLE, Mo. – A clutch home run and another offensive barrage led Dickinson State (6-6) to a Sunday sweep with wins over Midland University (5-4) and Graceland University (14-3) to wrap up a four-game weekend in Missouri.

GAME 1

A back-and-forth game swung the way of the Blue Hawks when Balas Buckmaster belted a two-out home run to center field, giving DSU a 5-4 lead heading into the seventh, and final, inning.

After a pair of errors brought home the first Midland run in the top of the seventh inning, the Blue Hawks took the lead right back. Kael Richards singled to right field and Richie Cortese drove the next pitch into the gap in left center field for an RBI triple tying the score at 1-1. Buckmaster followed that with an RBI sacrifice fly to put DSU in front.

Midland had an answer in the top of the third inning, again taking advantage of a Blue Hawk error to plate two runs with two outs and take a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom half of the third inning. Alberto Nieto led off the inning for the Blue Hawks with a walk. He then stole second base and scored on an RBI single to left field by Jacob Clinton. After a flyout, Clinton stole second base, and came home on Derrick Calvillo's two-out RBI knock to again put the Blue Hawks in front, 4-3.

After a scoreless fourth inning for both teams, the Warriors tied the score at 4-4 in the fourth inning after a leadoff double and RBI single started the frame. Dickinson State didn't have an answer in the bottom half of the inning and Midland looked poised to grab the lead in the top of the sixth inning. The Warriors used two straight walks to put two on with nobody out, but after DSU got the lead out on an attempted sacrifice bunt, high-leverage reliever Gabe Lundbeck was called upon to finish the job. Two pitches later he induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to keep the game tied at 4-4.

Midland got the first two outs of the inning to start off the bottom of the sixth, but with a full count Buckmaster blasted the sixth pitch of the at bat over the center field wall giving DSU a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Lundbeck worked around a two-out walk in the seventh to slam the door and earn the win for Dickinson State.

Buckmaster finished the game 2-2 with a home run and 2 RBI, while Kael Richards 2-3 as the only other Blue Hawk with a multi-hit game. DSU starter Trent Richter went 4.0 innings allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on five hits while striking out five and walking none. Cooper Van Luchene gave the Blue Hawks 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to bridge the gap between Richter and Lundbeck.

GAME 2

After dropping the first game of the weekend, 3-2, to Graceland University on Saturday, the Blue Hawks exploded for six first-inning runs on Sunday to earn the 14-3 win over the Yellow Jackets.

A Cade Ostenson walk, Dawson Cortese single, and Derrick Calvillo hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with one out in the first, and Kael Richards also got hit by a pitch forcing in the first DSU run. Mathias Dufner scored Cortese with an RBI single to center before Balas Buckmaster scored Nathaniel Jilek, who was the courtesy runner for Calvillo, and Richards with a double in the gap giving DSU a quick 4-0 lead. Keanu Calamayan singled one batter later scoring Dufner and Buckmaster as the Blue Hawks built all the lead they would need.

Dickinson State added another run in the fourth inning when Calvillo laced a two-out single to right, scoring Nieto who singled to start the inning. Ostenson drove home two more Blue Hawk runs in the fifth with a bloop single to left and Buckmaster drove in his third run of the game with a single in the sixth.

DSU wasn't done yet, as Cortese, Calvillo, Dufner, and Buckmaster all drove in runs in a four-run seventh for the Blue Hawks, sealing the win. Starter Kobe Krenz went 2.0 innings, striking out 5 and allowing 1 run on 2 hits. John Koronka went 2.2 innings in relief and allowed 2 runs on three hits, while Alex Stevens and Carlos Molina Jr. combined for 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to finish the game.

WHATS NEXT

The Blue Hawks will take a week off before traveling to Tucson, Arizona for their annual Spring Break trip.