Sagan Osborne – Dickinson State Sports and Marketing Information Director
Mesa, Ariz. – Dickinson State fell short in a back-and-forth contest against Benedictine Mesa, dropping an 8-7 decision Wednesday night at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The Blue Hawks led for most of the game but surrendered a late three-run eighth inning that sealed their fate.
Dickinson State struck first in the second inning when Jerry Santiago Jr. singled home a run, followed by a two-run double from Logan Braaten to put the Blue Hawks up 3-1. Benedictine Mesa answered in the bottom half, tying the game on a hit-by-pitch RBI and a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Hawks regained the lead in the third. Ty Farwell singled home Jadyn Roberts before Cameron Erickson followed with an RBI single. Santiago Jr. capped the inning with a run-scoring double to push Dickinson State ahead 6-3.
After a scoreless fourth and fifth, the Blue Hawks added a run in the sixth. Erickson reached on an error and later scored on another Benedictine Mesa miscue, extending the lead to 7-3.
The Redhawks started their comeback in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double. They inched closer in the seventh when a run-scoring single trimmed the deficit to 7-5.
Benedictine Mesa completed the rally in the eighth. An infield single plated one run before a two-run double put the Redhawks ahead for the first time. Dickinson State could not recover, going down in order in the ninth.
The Blue Hawks collected 12 hits, led by Santiago Jr. with three and Braaten with two. Erickson scored three runs, and Farwell added two hits and an RBI. On the mound, Logan Smith started but lasted just one inning, allowing three runs. Anthony Hanson provided three scoreless frames, while Trent Chavez and Carlos Molina Jr. each worked effective outings before Noah Aliff took the loss, allowing the go-ahead runs in the eighth.