Keele Spurs Mavs to First League Crown
May 17, 2013 | Baseball
Game 1 Box Score (PDF/HTML)
Game 2 Box Score (PDF/HTML)
OMAHA, Neb. -- Behind a heroic walkoff home run by senior Ryan Keele, the Omaha baseball team won its first Summit League championship outright on Friday afternoon at the Ballpark at Boys Town, 6-4 over South Dakota State. The Mavericks won the regular-season title in just their first year as a member of the league, and the crown marks the first conference championship for any Maverick team in Division I play.
Tied 4-4 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning, senior Cory Buckley came through with a one-out single to center to put the winning run on first. Keele then stepped to the plate and blasted a towering shot over the left field wall, cementing Omaha's championship day with a 6-4 victory. The homer was Keele's sixth of the year, and he now leads the Summit League in roundtrippers.
Keele finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in the opening game, and Buckley was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two more driven in. Freshman Alex Schultz also went 2-for-3 with a run, and redshirt freshman Clayton Taylor was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Senior Matt Tew was a force on the mound in the final appearance of his career, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with seven strikeouts. The win went to freshman reliever Sam Murphy (1-0), who threw the final inning and held the Jackrabbits to one hit to pick up his first career win. SDSU starter Stephen Bougher (7-2) took the loss, surrendering six runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
In game two, South Dakota State responded with a a 12-5 win to split the doubleheader. Keele, Schultz, freshman Collin Leif and senior Connor McCrite all registered two hits apiece. McCrite led the way, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Buckley was also 1-for-4 with a run scored, tallying his second triple of the season, which also leads the Summit League.
Daniel Marra finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Scott Splett was 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Nick Andrews, Sam Pack and Tyler Shannon all added two hits apiece, and Robbins scored three times to lead the Jacks.
SDSU's Adam Bray (7-2) earned the win, tossing six innings and allowing one run on six hits with two strikeouts. Omaha starter Steven Schoonover was tagged with the loss, giving up four runs on five hits. Andrew Dergan made his mound debut by throwing the final 4.2 innings, holding the Jacks to one run on four hits with two strikeouts.
With the split, Omaha is now 26-22 (19-6 Summit League), while South Dakota State is 31-20 (16-9 Summit League). Despite winning the regular-season title, UNO is not eligible for the Summit League Tournament due to Division I reclassification rules and will conclude its season in Saturday's series finale.
The Mavericks host the fourth and final game of the series on Saturday, May 18. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, and Omaha's five seniors -- Keele, Buckley, Tew, McCrite and Derek Landis -- will be honored with special pregame festivities. Fans are also encouraged to stay after the game for a special presentation to honor Omaha's first conference championship.
