Sankey earns second straight PoW honor
After Dixie State edged North Dakota State 4-1 Friday night, the two teams squared up for a doubleheader amidst their four-game series. Game one belonged to Dixie State, winning 6-2, while North Dakota State took the second game by the same score.
In the first game, DSU knocked in four early runs off NDSU pitcher Cade Feeney to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Following two scoreless frames, junior Druw Sackett pulled off an impressive move and stole home that put the Bison on the board. NDSU’s second run came off the bat of Peter Brookshaw, but that would be it for the Bison, who allowed the Trailblazers to score two more runs.
Cade Feeney, who picked up a win last week, took the loss today while collecting two strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work.
In game two, the Bison bats were able to come alive against DSU pitcher Taye Newman, as they notched three runs in the first inning. Brookshaw (2-4 in the game), who had an RBI in game one, picked up another on a single to shallow left. Charley Hesse followed suit with a single of his own, and Carson Hake drove in Brookshaw on a sacrifice fly to cap the inning for the Bison.
Arguably the hero for the Bison in this game, Peter Brookshaw, who received an All-Summit nod last season, cranked a solo home run in the top of the fifth. With the score now a 4-0, senior catcher Logan Williams went yard himself to give NDSU its fifth run. To close out the frame, Cadyn Schwabe used a sac fly to score Terrell Huggins and increase the lead to 6-0.
On the mound, RHP Evan Sankey (2-0) carried over his dominance from last weekend. Through six solid innings, he tossed four strikeouts and blanked the opponent yet again. To close, Tristen Roehrich gathered his second save of the year, striking out three DSU batters in the process.
On Sunday, Dixie State capped the series off with a win, using strong second and third innings to pace themselves to a 6-4 win.
In the first inning, senior Logan Williams (2-4 at the plate) cranked a left-field blast, his second of the year, to give the Bison the early lead. Unfortunately for the Bison, it was not pitcher Ben Smith’s day, as the Trailblazers tallied five runs off the sophomore righty. With the score now 5-2 in favor of Dixie State, Peter Brookshaw (3-5 on the day), led a comeback effort, as he smacked a double in the fourth inning and a single in the sixth, collecting two RBIs and scoring teammates Logan Williams and Terrell Huggins, respectively. However, the Herd’s late-game rally was put to a stop by DSU closer Ryan Hardman, who blanked the Bison batters over the last 2.2 innings.
Despite the loss, NDSU was able to collect 13 hits, which tied their season-high. Outfielder Jack Simonsen led the way, reaching base on four of his five at-bats, and sophomore Peter Brookshaw had a decent day with three hits and two RBIs.
On the hill, Ben Smith picked up his first loss of the season, tossing one KO over three frames. Freshman Wyatt Nelson was able to see a little action today, and his three strikeouts ended up being a team-high on the day.
Sankey wins back-to-back Pitcher of the Week Honors
North Dakota State’s Evan Sankey has been named the TicketSmarter Summit League Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week; the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
Sankey went 1-0 on the mound with a team-high four strikeouts in the 6-2 win over Dixie State on Saturday. He tossed six shutout innings for the Bison and extended his shutout innings streak to 11.0 to begin the season. The Appleton, Wis. native is 2-0 overall this season and is limiting opponents to a .286 batting average.
Sankey becomes the first NDSU pitcher to win back-to-back Summit League Pitcher of the Week awards since John Straka accomplished the feat during the 2013 season. It also marks his second overall Summit League Pitcher of the Week honor.
Next weekend, the Bison will take their talents to sunny California, where they will take on an exceptionally good Long Beach State team. Look for Max Loven to be on the mound for the opener, which is set for 8:00 p.m. CT.