Northern Colorado baseball lost to South Dakota State in the first game of their weekend series after a three-run rally by the Jackrabbits in the 11th inning, according to an April 24 report.
The close contest saw Northern Colorado come back from an early deficit, only to fall short in extra innings. The outcome affects the Bears’ standing as they seek to even up the series in upcoming games.
South Dakota State took a 4-0 lead in the first inning without recording a hit, capitalizing on walks and hit-by-pitches. Northern Colorado responded quickly when Mason Griffin hit a three-run home run in the second inning. Brandon Sanchez tied it up with a solo home run in the fifth. Relief pitcher Ethan Louthan kept Northern Colorado competitive with 6.2 scoreless innings, while Logan Borboa also pitched effectively into extra innings.
In the top of the 11th inning, Logan Pruski singled and later stole home for Northern Colorado’s first lead at 5-4. A balk allowed Jake Bullard to score, making it 6-4 for UNC. However, South Dakota State answered with three runs in their half of the inning and won on a walk-off play.
Griffin led UNC offensively with three runs batted in from his home run; Sanchez had two hits including his homer; Bullard added two hits and reached base three times.
The teams will continue their series as Northern Colorado aims to recover from this loss.
