Sagan Osborne – Dickinson State Sports and Marketing Information Director
Tucson, Ariz. – Dickinson State secured a 6-4 victory over Dakota Wesleyan in Tucson, Ariz., using early offense and strong pitching to hold off a late push.
The Blue Hawks took control in the first inning. Jace Buchanan led off with a triple before Wyatt Wilharm doubled to right, bringing him home. John-Michael Gonzalez Jr. followed with a two-run homer, giving Dickinson State a 3-0 lead.
In the third, the Blue Hawks added three more runs. Buchanan singled and advanced to third on a base hit from Ty Farwell. Wilharm brought home a run with a groundout before Gonzalez Jr. added another RBI with a sacrifice fly. Jadyn Roberts capped the inning with a solo home run to deep center, extending the lead to 6-0.
Dakota Wesleyan broke through in the fifth. A single plated the first run before a two-run double cut the deficit in half. Another double drove in one more run, making it 6-4.
Jacob Scully started on the mound for Dickinson State, working five innings while allowing four runs on four hits with six strikeouts. Noah Aliff provided a scoreless sixth before Dax Chitty closed the game in the seventh, earning his second save of the season.
The Blue Hawks finished with 10 hits. Buchanan, Wilharm, and Gonzalez Jr. each drove in multiple runs, while Roberts and Kadin Finders also contributed with key hits.