OMAHA (Interstat) — Tanner Foertsch pitched six strong innings and the Omaha Mavericks erupted for four runs in the fourth inning to defeat the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 11-3 on Friday, May 15, in a Summit League matchup.

Foertsch allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out five over six innings, improving to 4-3 on the season. He retired the side in order in the first and third innings and worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the third. The right-hander exited with a 6-3 lead after the Mavericks’ big fourth inning.

Omaha took an early 1-0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Trout. South Dakota State answered in the top of the second when Dayton Franke doubled, but the Jackrabbits could not score. Omaha added a run in the second on Eli Hoerner’s RBI double, making it 2-0.

The game turned in the bottom of the fourth. With the score tied at 2-2 after a sacrifice fly by Hoerner in the bottom of the second and a quiet third, Omaha loaded the bases on singles by Hayden Lewis and Sam Beck and a bunt from Edoardo Cornelli. Hoerner tied the game with another sacrifice fly, and Chase Diggins followed with an RBI single to give Omaha the lead for good. Henry Zipay and Trout added run-scoring singles, and Cardel Dick drove in a run to cap the four-run frame. The Mavericks sent nine batters to the plate, seizing a 6-2 advantage.

Omaha’s offense continued to pile on. Diggins delivered an RBI single in the fifth, and the Mavericks took advantage of a South Dakota State error in the sixth to score two unearned runs, extending the margin to 9-2. Hoerner doubled in a run in the seventh, and Zipay singled in another to make it 11-2. The Jackrabbits scratched across a run in the ninth on a groundout by Travis Finney.

Hoerner finished 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, and Zipay went 4-for-5 with an RBI. Trout had two hits and two RBIs, and Diggins added three hits and two RBIs. Omaha’s 17 hits were a season high.

South Dakota State managed five hits, including a home run by Luke Wroblewski in the seventh. Owen Siegert doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Trey Husar pitched 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief for the Jackrabbits.

The win improved Omaha to 20-24 overall and 13-15 in the Summit League. South Dakota State fell to 17-29 and 8-17. The teams split the first two games of the series, with Omaha winning 10-7 on Thursday and South Dakota State winning 5-0 on Wednesday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of South Dakota State 6, Omaha 5, while its ELO system gave Omaha a 56.30 percent probability to win.