Blue Hawks erase huge deficit, Clinton ties stolen base record, as DSU splits on day three

Sagan Osborne | Dickinson State Sports Information Director

TUCSON, Ariz. – It was a day for offense in Tucson as the Dickinson State baseball team went 1-1 on Saturday. The Blue Hawks erased a huge deficit in game one to win 18-16 over NCAA Division II Bemidji State before dropping game two, 19-9 (8 innings), to Ottawa University-Arizona.

GAME 1

Not even a 14-0 third inning deficit could deter the Blue Hawks as they outscored NCAA Division II Bemidji State 18-2 the rest of the way to earn the incredible come-from-behind victory.

After a scoreless first inning for both teams, a couple of two out errors snowballed into a 9-run second inning for Bemidji State, all unearned. DSU could not answer back in the bottom half of the inning as they were retired in order. The Beavers tacked on five more runs in the top half of the third inning, this time three unearned and two earned, to take a commanding 14-0 lead.

However, in the bottom of the third inning the momentum started to shift. A one-out single by Matthew Krieger got things started for DSU and Kobe Krenz followed with a single of his own to give DSU runners at the corners with one out. Kaiden Reeve followed with a three-run home run to left field to cut the deficit to 14-3. After Derrick Calvillo reached on an infield error, Wyatt Wilharm nearly sent one over the center field wall, but a great running catch into the 403 sign in center field robbed him of sure extra bases.

Bemidji State got a run back in the top of the fifth inning, but back-to-back RBI doubles by Dawson Cortese and Calvillo in the bottom half of the inning pushed across three more DSU runs cutting the BSU lead to nine. A scoreless top of the sixth inning for BSU was followed by another offensive outburst from the Blue Hawks in the bottom of the inning. Cade Ostenson started the inning with an infield single before Jacob Clinton doubled him home. Reeve continued his strong game with a double to right center field that scored Clinton and Balas Buckmaster, who walked, to make it 15-9. Back-to-back RBI singles by Wilharm and Richie Cortese tacked on two more runs and get DSU to within four headed to the seventh inning.

Alberto Nieto relieved Alex Stephens in the seventh inning and sent the Beavers down in order to keep the Blue Hawk momentum going. In the bottom of the seventh, Buckmaster singled with one out, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error before Calamayan singled him home to bring DSU to within three. Two batters later, Dawson Cortese blasted his first home run of the game to right-center to make it a one-run ballgame. A single from Calvillo and a walk to Nieto gave DSU runners on first and second with two outs, but BSU was able to escape the jam and maintain their one run lead headed to the eighth.

Nieto sent down the Beavers in order again in the eighth setting the table for the Blue Hawks. Ostenson led things off with a double to the right field wall and scored on a Buckmaster single two batters later to tie the game at 15-15. Buckmaster was thrown out trying to advance to second on the throw home. Calayman kept things going with a two-out single to right, and Reeve was hit by a pitch, to put two on with two outs for Dawson Cortese. After a pitching change, Cortese hammered the first pitch he saw deep over the right center field fence for his second home run in as many innings, completing the comeback and making it 18-15 DSU heading into the ninth inning.

Closer Gabe Lundbeck entered the game and allowed one run on a pair of singles and a walk, but slammed the door shut with runners on the corners getting BSU to foul out to shallow left field ending the game.

Nieto earned the win for the Blue Hawks going 2.0 innings and allowing no runs on no hits while striking out one. Lundbeck picked up his first save of the season.

GAME 2

Jacob Clinton tied the Dickinson State career stolen bases record (46) with his second inning steal of second, but the Blue Hawks ran into a powerful Ottawa (Ariz.) offense as they fell 19-9 in another slugfest.

OUAZ took the first lead of the game in the bottom half of the second inning on a two-run single to go up 2-0 headed to the third inning. The Blue Hawks got a sacrifice fly from Derrick Calvillo, and back-to-back RBI hits from Dawson Cortese and Kaiden Reeve, to take the lead 3-2.

OUAZ answered right back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-3 lead that they would never relinquish. Cade Ostenson led off the Blue Hawk fourth inning with a home run to right field to make it 6-4, but again Ottawa had an answer, scoring three more runs in the bottom half of the inning to stretch their lead to 9-4.

The Blue Hawks continued to try and play catch up, getting RBI singles from Reeve and Alberto Nieto to push three more runs across and get back to within two, but the Ottawa attack never faltered. OUAZ added 10 runs in the final three innings to end the game one inning early due to the ten-run mercy rule.

WHATS NEXT

The Blue Hawks will have a day off on Sunday before taking on NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State in a single nine inning game on Monday at 11:00 am (MT).