Photo by SMSU Athletic Communications Southwest Minnesota State University pitcher Noah Cekalla throws from the mound during a non-conference matchup against Division I South Dakota State at Erv Huether Field in Brookings, S.D. on Tuesday. The Jackrabbits defeated the Mustangs 12-10.

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Despite a consistent ability to bat for both power and contact, the Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team was unable to come away with a win in its road matchup against Division I South Dakota State on Tuesday night. The Mustangs led as late as the fifth inning, but fell 12-10 due to a pair of late Jackrabbit rallies.

The game marked the Mustangs’ first time playing Division I competition since they defeated South Dakota State in 2006.

Facing a 6-4 deficit, the Jackrabbits jumped past the Mustangs on the scoreboard with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Walks to Dayton Franke and Mason Lang, and a single by Nicholas Werk, loaded the bases for SDSU with one out. Carter Sintek took advantage of the opportunity, singling up the middle to drive in two runs and tie up the game at six runs apiece.

Cameron Jensen came in to relieve Bennett Knapper from there but couldn’t stop the bleeding; Owen Siegert drove in Werk on a ground out and Luke Luskey singled to left field to drive in Sintek and give the Rabbits an 8-6 lead that they never relinquished.

A solo home run from Adam Benes brought South Dakota State’s lead to its peak of 9-6 after the sixth inning.

SMSU responded in the top of the seventh when Levi Lampert and Jared Cortez hit back-to-back doubles to score one run, and Cory Bantam singled to put runners on the corners with no outs when South Dakota State subbed in Dylan Driessen for Sam Schlecht on the mound.

The Mustang rally continued with Tyler Froland — pinch hitting for Evan Behn — hitting an RBI double to center field and Carter Lang drove in Bantam on a ground out, tying the game up at 9-9.

Still, a two-run single from Luksey and a sacrifice ground out by Bryce Ronken brought SDSU’s lead back to three runs in the bottom of the frame.

Vinny Mauro hopped on the mound in the sixth inning for SMSU and started the seventh inning. Yet, he left with runners on the corners and no outs in the latter frame. All of the runners he left on base scored off Dent, leaving Mauro with a statline of three earned runs allowed on two hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts over one inning. He falls to 1-2 on the season.

In the top of the first, SMSU secured an early lead when Bantam singled with two outs and Behn reached base on an error by SDSU third baseman Colin Gibson. Carter Lang further capitalized on the opportunity with a three-run homer to center field to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Mustangs.

SMSU pushed one last run across the plate in the eighth when Bock Woitalla hit a leadoff double before scoring when Cortez reached base on a fielding error by South Dakota State second baseman Keagen Jirschele.

Dent got the first out of the eighth inning and Cody Wichmann retired each of the two batters he faced to enter the ninth with a two-run deficit for the Mustangs, but SMSU was only able to get Henry Hammrich on base before the inning ended with a Mustang loss.

Noah Cekalla allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks in a two-inning start for SMSU before being pulled with a no-decision.

SMSU threw eight pitchers in the game. Wichmann and Jensen each got two outs with no earned runs allowed, making them the only Mustangs with an ERA of 0.00 on the day. Huppert Cullen also didn’t allow a run but exited the game after walking the lone batter he faced.

SMSU claimed the game’s largest lead in the top of the second when Woitalla singled up the middle before eventually scoring on the second wild pitch of the inning, making the score 4-0.

Driessen improves to 1-0 on the year for SDSU after throwing three innings for the Jackrabbits and allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Still, Sintek hit an RBI double in the bottom of the third while Siegert added a two-run single to bring South Dakota State back within a run.

Woitalla and Cortez each recorded three hits for SMSU while Bantam added another two hits and a walk.. Cortez’s two doubles gave him the most extra-base hits in the game while his three RBIs left him shy of only Carter Lang’s four.

SMSU increased its lead to 6-3 in the top of the fourth when Cortez hit a two-run double to score Lampert and Woitalla.

Siegert logged three hits and four RBIs for the Jackrabbits while Luskey and Sintek each tallied two hits, three RBIs and a walk.

Dylan Richey threw the game’s first 1 2/3 innings for SDSU, allowing one earned and three unearned runs on three hits and a walk. Ty Madison also allowed one earned run on three hits over 1 2/3 innings, while Schlecht surrendered four earned runs on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 2 2/3 frames.

SMSU falls to 12-7 on the year with the loss and next takes on Minot State at Corbett Field in North Dakota on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s doubleheader is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. while Sunday’s is scheduled for noon.