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8
Winner South Dakota State SDSU 8-10, 1-3 Summit
5
Western Illinois WIU 3-13, 1-3 Summit
Winner
South Dakota State SDSU
8-10, 1-3 Summit
8
Final
5
Western Illinois WIU
3-13, 1-3 Summit
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
South Dakota State SDSU 0 1 0 0 2 1 2 2 0 8 14 3
Western Illinois WIU 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 5 10 1

W: Adam Bray (2-2) L: Baksha, J.T. (0-2) S: Talon Jumper (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Fall in Series Opener to South Dakota State

Western fell 8-5 in game one of the three-game series on Friday (March 20).

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois baseball dropped game one of its three-game series against South Dakota State, 8-5, on Friday (March 20) at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. The loss moves WIU to 1-3 in Summit League play and 3-13 overall. SDSU improves to 8-10 overall, 1-3 in the Summit League.

An early 2-0 lead for Western fell victim to a SDSU comeback. After falling behind in the fifth inning, the Purple and Gold regained the lead in the sixth, but two runs each in the seventh and eighth inning put South Dakota State ahead for good.

"I told the guys after the game that we have to handle things better," said head coach Ryan Brownlee. "You're going to have adversity in every game you play. Part of playing at a high level is handling that adversity and learning how to deal with it. Baseball is going to test you so do we have enough fortitude to get through that. That's our next step, is handling things better. We don't have to be world-beaters, we just have to play good baseball."

In his fifth start of the year, Joe Mortillaro opened the game strong for Western. The junior right-handed pitcher struck out one and drew two ground balls in the top of the first, and set the plate for the Leatherneck offense.

Payton Jeffers started another successful first inning for WIU with a one-out single to centerfield. A two-out single from Chris Tschida brought Jeffers home and gave Western a 1-0 lead for the fourth-straight game at home. A single from JJ Reimer followed by a base hit from Adam McGinnis scored another run and moved the Leathernecks into a 2-0 lead over the Jacks.

South Dakota State answered with one run in the second, and a two-run fifth gave the Jacks a 3-2 lead.

That lead was extended to two in the top of the sixth, but the Leathernecks came roaring back in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Tschida smacked a double on the first pitch of the inning, and a Jackrabbit error on the next at-bat put Tschida on third and Reimer on first. McGinnis earned his second RBI of the game with a single to right field, scoring Tschida. Then Brent Turner was pegged in the hip to load the bases. A double-play ball from Mark Garton scored Reimer, tying the game at four-all. A pinch-hit single from Colton Pogue plated McGinnis and put the Leathernecks up 5-4.

However, the lead would not last long. With the sun playing a factor, a couple lost balls in the top of the seventh allowed SDSU to plate two and reclaim the lead, 6-5. Two more runs in the eighth provided insurance.

A strong outing from Tschida led the Purple and Gold offense. The sophomore shortstop went 3-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in another. McGinnis and Jeffers added two hits and a run each. McGinnis also added two RBI of his own. Hits from Reimer, Pogue, and Garton capped a 10-hit effort from the Leathernecks.

On the mound, Mortillaro was left out of the decision after leaving the game in line for the win. The Middle Village, N.Y. native went six innings, allowed eight hits and surrendered five runs (four earned). J.T. Baksha was credited with the loss, retiring just one batter in his appearance. Nick Milligan posted an inning of work and struck out two, while Tyler Owings finished the game with 1.2 innings pitched and no runs allowed.

The series continues tomorrow (Saturday) with game two set to start at noon. Live stats and audio will be available at GoLeathernecks.com/watch. Inning-by-inning updates will be available on Twitter at @WIU_Baseball.
 




  
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