Blue Hawks go 1-3 at Viterbo to open NSAA play

La Crosse, Wis. – Dickinson State went 1-3 over the weekend to kick off North Star Athletic Association play against Viterbo University.

Game One – VU 1 DSU 0

Dickinson State got 6 innings of one run baseball from starting pitcher Trent Richter but fell 1-0 to Viterbo in game one.

Game Two – VU 19 DSU 5

Nathaniel Jilek and Cameron Erickson hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2, but an 11-run fifth inning for Viterbo was too much to overcome as the Blue Hawks fell, 19-5, in game two. Jilek and Erickson both had two hits to lead the DSU offense for the game.

Game Three – VU 1 DSU 0

For the second consecutive day, Viterbo took the opening game 1-0. Dickinson State got a brilliant 7 shutout innings from starter Jonathan Lerma, but Viterbo was able to push across a run in the bottom of the first extra inning against relief pitcher Alex Stephens to earn the win.

Kadin Finders, Nathaniel Jilek, and Alberto Nieto collected the three Blue Hawk hits, but the DSU offense was held scoreless for the second time in three games.

Game Two – DSU 6 VU 3

Wyatt Wilharm went 3-5, including the go-ahead RBI-double in the eighth inning, to lead DSU to the game four victory and staving off the weekend sweep.

Patrick Dietz earned the win in relief for the Blue Hawks after going four hitless innings in relief of starter Tate Williams who gave up just one run on three hits over four strong innings to begin the game.

Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, Carlos Molina Jr. worked a bases-loaded walk to knot the game at 1-1, but Viterbo got Mathias Dufner to strike out on a full count to end the threat.

Dickinson State earned their first lead of the series in the eighth inning when Luke Clinton led off the inning with a hit by pitch and scored on Wilharm's double to deep left center field. A single by Kaiden Reeve gave DSU runners at the corners with nobody out, and courtesy runner Moses Dokes stole second to make it second and third. Wilharm scored on an RBI single by Nieto and Dokes scored on a failed pickoff attempt to make it 4-1. A sacrifice fly by Alex Stephens made it 5-1 Blue Hawks before the rally ended.

An error by Viterbo in the ninth gave DSU another insurance run as Clinton scored after reaching on a single.

Viterbo threatened in the bottom of the ninth, scoring two runs and getting the tying run to the plate with two outs, but freshman Trent Chavez was able to come in and strike out pinch-hitter Ryder Mortenson to earn the one-out save.