(Peru, Neb.)- Peru State closed its four-game home set against Dickinson State with a strong finish Saturday, rallying for a 6-4 win in the series finale after the Blue Hawks claimed the first three games in Peru. The Bobcats dropped Friday's doubleheader, 16-3 and 3-2, and fell 3-1 in Saturday's opener before breaking through in the last game behind timely offense and a steady start from .
The toughest blow of the weekend came in Game 1 on Friday, when Dickinson State seized control immediately with seven runs in the first inning. J. Roberts delivered the decisive swing in that opening burst with a three-run home run, and the Blue Hawks kept piling on with two runs in the second and six more in the third. Peru State answered with all three of its runs in the second inning, but Dickinson's early surge proved too much to overcome in a 16-3 final. M. Lunzman worked six innings for Dickinson, while the Blue Hawks finished with 16 hits. R. Teran drove in four runs and M. Dokes added three hits and two RBIs during the opener.
Game 2 was a much tighter battle, and the Bobcats were in it to the end. Dickinson State pushed across all three of its runs in the third inning, again getting key production from Roberts, whose home run accounted for a big share of the damage. Peru State responded with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, trimming the deficit to one and putting pressure on late. turned in a gritty complete-game effort for the Bobcats, going all seven innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs while striking out seven. Peru State matched Dickinson with seven hits in the nightcap, but the comeback bid stopped just short in a 3-2 loss.
Saturday's first game followed a similar script, with Dickinson State capitalizing on limited chances and strong pitching to earn a 3-1 win. The Blue Hawks scored in the second on a run-scoring single from K. Finders, added another run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to W. Wilharm, and picked up insurance in the seventh when J. Salazar doubled home a run. Peru State's only run came in the fourth inning, but P. Dietz kept the Bobcats in check from there, throwing a complete game with just three hits allowed and one earned run over seven innings.
The Bobcats made sure the weekend did not end quietly. In Game 4, Peru State struck first and built momentum with a three-run second inning to take a 4-1 lead. Dickinson State answered in the fifth, scoring three times on a sequence that included walks, a sacrifice fly and passed balls to briefly move in front. Peru State responded with the game's biggest answer over the final two innings. sparked the offense with a triple and scored twice, while delivered a run-producing plate appearance in the sixth to bring home the go-ahead run. Korte gave the Bobcats five innings in the start, allowing four runs on four hits with four strikeouts, and Peru State finished off the 6-4 victory for a well-earned split on Saturday.
