Walk off homerun
The Fighting Sioux baseball team strung together two wins in a doubleheader last week.
TImothy Boger
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Sports
Despite the cold Friday afternoon weather at Kraft Field in Grand Forks, the Sioux baseball team swung some hot bats.
North Dakota swept the visiting Dakota Wesleyan team in a doubleheader Friday afternoon to cap off a four game home stand. A walk-off home run would win them game one 6-5 and a solid pitching performance and endless hitting earned them the second game 9-1.
An exciting seventh inning capped off a seesaw battle in game one. The Sioux came out to the field up 4-2, but a single and two walks allowed by pitcher Brandon Baumgartner loaded the bases with one out. That's when the trouble started. A fly ball dropped by right fielder Andrew Gudmunson allowed the tying run to score, then a double scored two more runs to put Dakota Wesleyan in front.
The Sioux wouldn't give up in their half of the inning and made their own comeback rather quickly. Andrew Marek walked to lead off the inning. Following him? Gudmunson.
The junior would make up for his error in the top of the inning with a two-run blast to left-center field to win the game. It was Gudmunson's second home run of the game and third in the season-the other one being earlier this week. He was 2-for-4 in the game.
Marek and Andrew Sadler each had an RBI double, capping off the scoring for the Sioux.
Game two saw pitcher David Lind, who earned his first collegiate victory on Monday. Lind dominated the Tiger lineup en route to his second straight victory as the Sioux won 9-1.
The Sioux started off slow with a run in the first and second innings.
Dakota Wesleyan scored their only run in the fourth inning. The Tigers' Alex Sumner hit a deep fly ball that caromed off of the foul pole. The home plate umpire called it a home run, apparently just barely hitting the pole above the fence. Despite the Sioux argument, the home run stood.
But the controversy seemed to spark the offense. North Dakota scored seven runs in the next two innings to bury the Tigers. The Sioux hit three straight singles to score one run, then scored a second run on a sacrifice fly. After that, Andrew Marek put the game away with a two-run home run to put UND up 6-1.
Josh Nelson would add a two-run homerun of his own in the bottom of the fifth.
Lind (2-3) allowed just four hits. He struck out one and walked only the first batter he faced. He also hit two batters.
Nelson and Daniel Ross were both 3-for-3 and catcher Ryne Jungling was 2-for-3-a combined 8-for-9 in the 6-7-8 spots in the lineup. The three combined for five RBIs and six run scored.
It's back to Division I baseball for the Sioux. They hit the road again to face Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas next week for a two game series Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kansas State is ranked 23rd in the NCAA and is a half-game behind first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Game time both days will be 6:30 p.m.
North Dakota swept the visiting Dakota Wesleyan team in a doubleheader Friday afternoon to cap off a four game home stand. A walk-off home run would win them game one 6-5 and a solid pitching performance and endless hitting earned them the second game 9-1.
An exciting seventh inning capped off a seesaw battle in game one. The Sioux came out to the field up 4-2, but a single and two walks allowed by pitcher Brandon Baumgartner loaded the bases with one out. That's when the trouble started. A fly ball dropped by right fielder Andrew Gudmunson allowed the tying run to score, then a double scored two more runs to put Dakota Wesleyan in front.
The Sioux wouldn't give up in their half of the inning and made their own comeback rather quickly. Andrew Marek walked to lead off the inning. Following him? Gudmunson.
The junior would make up for his error in the top of the inning with a two-run blast to left-center field to win the game. It was Gudmunson's second home run of the game and third in the season-the other one being earlier this week. He was 2-for-4 in the game.
Marek and Andrew Sadler each had an RBI double, capping off the scoring for the Sioux.
Game two saw pitcher David Lind, who earned his first collegiate victory on Monday. Lind dominated the Tiger lineup en route to his second straight victory as the Sioux won 9-1.
The Sioux started off slow with a run in the first and second innings.
Dakota Wesleyan scored their only run in the fourth inning. The Tigers' Alex Sumner hit a deep fly ball that caromed off of the foul pole. The home plate umpire called it a home run, apparently just barely hitting the pole above the fence. Despite the Sioux argument, the home run stood.
But the controversy seemed to spark the offense. North Dakota scored seven runs in the next two innings to bury the Tigers. The Sioux hit three straight singles to score one run, then scored a second run on a sacrifice fly. After that, Andrew Marek put the game away with a two-run home run to put UND up 6-1.
Josh Nelson would add a two-run homerun of his own in the bottom of the fifth.
Lind (2-3) allowed just four hits. He struck out one and walked only the first batter he faced. He also hit two batters.
Nelson and Daniel Ross were both 3-for-3 and catcher Ryne Jungling was 2-for-3-a combined 8-for-9 in the 6-7-8 spots in the lineup. The three combined for five RBIs and six run scored.
It's back to Division I baseball for the Sioux. They hit the road again to face Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas next week for a two game series Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kansas State is ranked 23rd in the NCAA and is a half-game behind first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Game time both days will be 6:30 p.m.
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