Jamestown ND (UJ) – The University of Jamestown baseball team survived a late scare to defeat Northern State 10-9 in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Jack Brown Stadium. The Jimmies built a comfortable lead early before the Wolves erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning, but Jamestown’s bullpen ultimately held on for the win.

The Wolves struck for 14 hits and scored 10 runs in game two to hand UJ a 10-5 defeat.

Game One Summary
Jamestown jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Benney Benitez blasted a three-run home run to right-center, scoring Adrian Warcken and Trayson Kostial.

Northern State got on the board in the top of the third with an RBI single by Dillon Castellanos to score Kyle Konechne.

The Jimmies answered with a four-run third inning. Jett Nelson scored on a passed ball, which was immediately followed by an RBI single to right field from Melvin Maldonado. Kostial then launched a two-run home run to left-center to expand the Jimmies’ lead to 7-1.

The Wolves added a solo home run by Collin Lott in the fourth inning, but Jamestown tacked on three more runs in the fifth. Warcken hit an RBI single, and two more runs crossed the plate when Benitez reached on a fielder’s choice accompanied by a Northern State throwing error, pushing the score to 10-2.

In the top of the sixth, Northern State rallied for seven runs to make it a one-run game. The explosive inning featured bases-loaded walks to Mateo Tahsini, Easton Rerick, and Jack Weidner, culminating in a grand slam by Konechne to bring the score to 10-9.

Ben Bohlmann entered in the seventh inning to secure his first save of the season, striking out Drew Benson and inducing a groundout to seal the 10-9 victory for the Jimmies.

Top Performers

Pitching Lines

  • Nolan McCaffery (UJ): W (2-4), 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
  • Ben Bohlmann (UJ): S (1), 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
  • Carson Zimmel (NSU): L (2-5), 3.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Game Two Summary
After three scoreless innings, Northern State got on the scoreboard first with a two-run fourth inning. Drew Benson sparked the offense with a two-run single up the middle that scored Collin Lott and Casey Vining.

Jamestown (11-25, 6-17 NSIC) responded in a big way in the bottom half of the fourth. After Jacob Thomas singled, Melvin Maldonado also singled, and Trayson Kostial was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ben Patton launched a grand slam to left field, giving the Jimmies a 4-2 lead.

The Wolves (11-18, 9-15 NSIC) cut the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth inning on a solo home run to left center by Kyle Konechne. Northern State then broke the game open and reclaimed the lead with a four-run sixth inning. The frame was highlighted by a three-run home run to right field by Benson, putting the Wolves ahead 6-4. They added another run later in the inning when Jack Weidner scored on a throwing error.

Jamestown got one run back in the bottom of the sixth when Jett Nelson delivered an RBI single to center field, scoring Reese Logsdon to cut the lead to 7-5. However, that would be the end of the scoring for the Jimmies.

Northern State tacked on two more runs in the eighth inning. Dylan Soulek hit an RBI single to left center to score Easton Rerick, and Konechne later scored on a wild pitch. Lott capped the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the top of the ninth to finalize the score at 10-5.

Top Performers

  • Ben Patton (UJ): 3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, R
  • Adrian Warcken (UJ): 3-for-5
  • Jacob Thomas (UJ): 2-for-5, R
  • Melvin Maldonado (UJ): 2-for-5, R
  • Drew Benson (NSU): 3-for-5, HR, 5 RBI, R
  • Collin Lott (NSU): 2-for4, HR, 2B, RBI, 3 R
  • Kyle Konechne (NSU): 2-for-3, HR, RBI, 2 R

Pitching Lines
Luke Zimmer made his 41st career start, setting a new Jimmie program record. Zimmer (0-6) took the loss, pitching five innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with two strikeouts. The Jimmie bullpen saw appearances from Beckett Stimpson, Ryan Morales, Payton Hochhalter, Kai Mayfield, and Ben Bohlmann.

Maddox Plack (2-2) earned the win in relief for Northern State, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing zero hits, and striking out four batters. Hyunwoo Kim started for the Wolves, giving up four runs on 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings. Palmer Boyd and Ethan Price also made relief appearances for Northern State.

Up Next
The Jimmies travel to Marshall, Minn., to face Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday, April 19, in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.