JAMESTOWN, N.D. (JimmieAthletics.com) – The University of Jamestown scored twice in three of the first four innings, then broke the game open with a four-run fifth to defeat Concordia-Moorhead College 12-2 at Jack Brown Stadium Tuesday night.
The game was called with two outs in the bottom of eighth due to the 10-run rule.
Jamestown improves to 29-14 overall while the NCAA Division II Cobbers fall to 11-18.
The Jimmies will travel to Crete, Neb., for a pair of doubleheaders against Doane to close out the regular season. UJ, currently 17-7 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, needs to win two of four against the 10-14 Tigers to clinch home-field advantage for the GPAC postseason tournament. The top two teams in the GPAC will host a four-team, double-elimination tournament beginning on May 2, with the winner of each bracket playing a single nine-inning championship game on May 7 at the home of the higher seed.
Jaden Yackley (SR/Lynnwood, Wash.), Tanner Roundy (SR/Henderson, NV), Lincoln Trujillo (JR/Cheyenne, WY), and Matt Meraz (JR/Aurora, CO) all drove in a pair of runs for UJ, which finished the game with 10 hits off of four Cobber pitchers.
Jamestown led 6-2 as they came to bat in the bottom of the fifth. Roundy led off the inning and promptly stole second base, one of his three steals on the night. Drake Pilat (SR/Winnipeg, MB, Canada) also walked and moved to second on the back end of a double steal to put runners at second and third. Trujillo drilled a double to left-center field to plate two runs, then Meraz homered to deep right for a 10-2 lead.
Chase Hacker (JR/Millcreek, WA) came home on a groundout in the bottom of the sixth to make it 11-2, then Jaden Yackley‘s pinch-hit double in the bottom of the eighth scored Cameron Martin (JR/Seattle, WA) with the game-ending run.
Austin Pesicka (JR/West Linn, OR) (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. Pesicka came on in relief of Jimmie starter Joe Spradlin(SR/Helena, MT), who worked the first four innings. Spradlin allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits while striking out four. Cade Torgerson (FR/Billings, MT) worked a scoreless seventh and Andrew Reed (JR/Woodinville, WA) struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.
Alex Erickson (0-1) took the loss for Concordia-Moorhead. He gave up six runs (four earned) on three hits in 3 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out two. Cobber pitchers walked 11 batters in the game, with eight of them eventually scoring.
Roundy’s three stolen bases put him at 32 for the season, one off of the single-season record of 33 set by Scott Moen in 1996.