UNC Steamrolls South Dakota State in DH Sweep

Friday, March 29

Papillion, Neb.

12 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

South Dakota State

3/29/2024 11:06:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Michael High, Assistant Director for Strategic Communications

PAPILLION, Neb. – Northern Colorado sprayed the ball all over Papio South High School in a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota State Friday.

UNC outscored the Jackrabbits 45-19 and banged out 39 hits, including 18 extra-base hits in the two games.

Trailing 6-3, after six innings in game one, the Bears plated 16 consecutive runs en route to their second-straight 19-7 victory.

The Bears scored seven runs on five hits and an error by South Dakota State to move in front 10-6, in the seventh. Caden Wagner, Carson Gross, Jackson Romero and Zain Zinicola registered RBI singles. Kai Wagner, Austin Bunn and Jackson Romero recorded a run-batted-in each with a base-on-balls.

Caden Wagner opened the eighth with a double down the left-field line and Kai Wagner followed with a six-pitch walk. Bunn drove the 1-2 offering over the fence in left-center, opening a seven-run advantage at 13-6.

Kai Wagner, Gross and Pease each smashed a two-run home run in the ninth inning, busting the game open at 19-6.

The Jackrabbits opened the scoring with a 3-run homer in the first but Caden Wagner pulled UNC within one with a 2-RBI single up the middle in the third.

South Dakota State pushed the gap back to two at 4-2 in the home half of the third, but the Bears answered in their next at-bat. Gross doubled with two outs in the fourth and cut the margin to 4-3 on a base knock by Romero.

A two-run blast in the fifth extended the deficit back to three in the bottom of the fifth. After the offensive explosion by UNC, the Jackrabbits scratched across a solo marker in the final frame.

In game two, UNC jumped out to a 10-0 advantage, with four in the first and three runs in the next two frames – extending the scoring streak to six innings.

Looking for their first sweep of the season, UNC found itself in a dogfight after allowing nine runs, on eight hits and an error in the bottom of the third. The Jackrabbits moved in front 11-10 with two tallies, without a hit in the next frame.

After being held off the scoreboard in the fourth, the Bears erupted for four runs in the fifth, three in the sixth and nine in the seventh. Needing five runs to force an eighth inning, South Dakota State pushed across a lone marker and UNC secured its second 10-run rule victory in the series.

The Bears totaled 64 runs in the series while allowing 26, including a 45-5 edge after the fifth inning. Seven Bears hit over .400 in the three games, with eight accounting for the 14 home runs.

Up Next
The Bears wrap up the four-game road trip Wednesday at 3 p.m. They travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the first of four-midweek contests against Air Force in April.