BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State scored three runs in the seventh inning to snap 9-9 game and was able to hold off a Southwest Minnesota State rally to earn a 12-10 non-conference victory in college baseball on Tuesday at Erv Huether Field.
 
SMSU, playing its first game versus a Division I opponent since defeating SDSU in 2006, drops to 12-7 overall.
 
The Mustangs, which held a 4-0 lead in the third, closed the game with 13 hits. Jared Cortez paced SMSU with three hits and three RBIs, while Brock Woitalla added three hits and scored three runs. Cory Bantam collected two hits and scored twice, while Carter Lang belted a three-run home run.
 
SMSU used eight pitchers in the contest with Noah Cekalla starting and tossing two shutout innings before allowing three runs in the third inning. He finished with three strikeouts, while allowing three runs on three hits and two walks.
 
Vinny Mauro (1-2) suffered the loss for the Mustangs tossing one inning and allowing three runs.
 
SMSU jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Lang blasted a three-run home run. The lead moved to 4-0 in the second with Woitalla reaching via a single and later scoring on a wild pitch.
 
SDSU scored three runs in the third to cut the deficit to 4-3, but SMSU answered in the fourth with Cortez smacking a two-run double to score Woitalla and Levi Lampert.
 
The Jackrabbits scored a run in the fourth, four in the fifth and one in the sixth to build a 9-6 lead.
 
The Mustangs countered in the top of the seventh to tie the game pushing across three runs on four hits. Cortez pushed across the first run with an RBI double to score Lampert, who doubled to start the frame. Tyler Froland made the score 9-8 with an RBI pinch-hit double before Lang tied the game with an RBI ground out to plate Bantam.
 
SDSU took advantage of two walks to start the seventh to score three runs on two hits to regain the lead at 12-9.
 
SMSU would pull to within 12-10 in the eighth scoring an unearned run, but left two men on base. SMSU would bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game.
 
SMSU returns to NSIC play later this week with a four-game series versus Minot State. The series, scheduled to be played in Minot, N.D., is expected to be relocated to the Marshall area. An update will be provided on Wednesday.