JACKS DROP SEASON OPENER IN CALIFORNIA

Friday, February 21

Stockton, Calif.

6 p.m. PT/8 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

0-1

Pacific (Calif.)

3-2

South Dakota State

PACIFIC

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann

2/22/2025 12:27:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. — Pacific first baseman J.T. Waldon drove in four runs, including three on an inside-the-park home run, to lead the Tigers past South Dakota State, 7-1, in the opener of a four-game college baseball series Friday night at Klein Family Field.

Pacific improved to 3-2 overall, while the Jackrabbits were playing their season opener after having a series last week canceled due to inclement weather.

The Tigers manufactured runs throughout the evening, starting in the home half of the opening inning. After SDSU starter Ty Madison retired the first two batters, Brian McClellin reached on a walk, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored on a Waldon double down the right-field line.

Pacific upped its lead to 5-0 with a four-run rally in the third inning that began with another free pass and was aided by an error. Kordell Brown drew a one-out walk, then stole both second and third base before on a bunt single by D.J. Scott. Another walk and an error set the table for Waldon, who drove a Madison pitch to the fence in right-center field. The ball took a long carom back toward center field, which allowed Waldon to circle the bases.

As a team, the Tigers stole eight bases in the game, including three by Brown and two each by Scott and John-Howard Bobo.

Left-handed starter Logan Drummond held SDSU in check until the sixth inning, when the Jackrabbits put their lone run of the game on the board. Bryce Ronken opened the frame with a walk and moved to second on the second of three hits in the game by Luke Luskey. After both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by Jess Bellows, freshman Keagen Jirschele lined a single to left field to plate Ronken.

Drummond struck out six, walked two and allowed four hits over six innings. Bryce Cruz added three strikeouts in three shutout innings of relief to earn the save.

Pacific added a run without a hit in the fourth inning and tacked on a run on an RBI single by Brown in the eighth.

Madison struck out four and walked three batters in his Jackrabbit debut, which lasted 2 1/3 innings. Freshmen Caleb Duerr and Drew McDowell each logged two-plus innings in their collegiate debuts, notching five and three strikeouts, respectively.

Waldon was 2-for-3 to lead Pacific's eight-hit attack. Luskey tallied half of the Jackrabbits' six hits, going 3-for-4.

UP NEXT
The two squads are scheduled to play a doubleheader Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. Pacific (5 p.m. Central).

NOTES

Pacific leads the all-time series, 4-1
SDSU dropped to 5-16 in season openers during the Division I era (since 2005)
All six Jackrabbit hits were singles
SDSU started three true freshmen — Jirschele at second base, Nolan Grawe at third base and Nicholas Werk in left field
Luskey recorded the fifth three-hit game of his career
Four Jackrabbit pitchers combined to strike out 12 batters and walk nine in the contest