Dickinson, N.D. - Dickinson State adavnced to the North Star Athletic Association Baseball Tournament championship game with a hard-fought 5-4 win over La Sierra University on Sunday afternoon at DBC&T Ballpark, clinching an automatic berth in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. The Blue Hawks then fell to Bellevue University 19-6 in the NSAA Championship later that evening.
Against La Sierra, Dickinson State used timely hitting and a strong start from senior right-hander Jacob Scully to hold off the Golden Eagles and secure its third straight NSAA title game appearance. Luis Rodriguez led the Blue Hawk offense, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a solo home run in the fifth inning. Logan Braaten added two hits and two runs scored, while catcher Cameron Erickson drove in what proved to be the game-winning run in the eighth.
Scully improved to 7-5 on the season, working 6.2 innings with eight strikeouts, allowing four hits and two earned runs. Trent Richter and Trent Chavez closed out the win, with Chavez recording his fifth save after getting the final three outs in the ninth.
Dickinson State jumped out to a 3-0 lead through three innings. Rodriguez singled and later scored in the first on a fielder's choice. Braaten doubled and scored on an error in the second, and Rodriguez crossed the plate again in the third on an RBI single from Moses Dokes.
Rodriguez's solo homer to left in the fifth extended the lead to 4-0. La Sierra responded with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to cut the lead to 4-3, but Erickson's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth gave the Blue Hawks a key insurance run. La Sierra added another run in the ninth, but Chavez stranded the tying run on base to seal the win.
The victory guaranteed Dickinson State (21-28) an automatic spot in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round thanks to Bellevue clinching the first bid as the NSAA regular season champions.
In the NSAA Championship game against top-seeded Bellevue, Dickinson State fell behind late as the Bruins exploded for 15 runs over the final four innings to pull away. Despite an early 3-1 lead, the Blue Hawks were unable to hold off the 24th-ranked Bruins' offense.
Erickson again delivered at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the second inning that gave Dickinson State an early lead. Jace Buchanan and Rodriguez each added RBI singles in the later innings, but the Bruins pounded out 22 hits, including four home runs.
Blue Hawk starter Jerry Santiago allowed four runs over five innings but left with the game tied. Cooper Van Luchene took the loss after surrendering three runs in the sixth. The Dickinson State bullpen struggled to slow Bellevue's bats, as the Bruins scored multiple runs in each of the final four frames.
Despite the loss, the Blue Hawks finished as NSAA Tournament runner-up and will advance to the NAIA Opening Round with a 21-29 overall record. The national tournament field and Opening Round assignments will be announced next week by the NAIA national office.