April 30, 2026

DICKINSON, N.D. - Fifth-seed Mayville State (N.D.) erased a late one-run deficit with a four-run ninth inning and beat fourth-seed Dakota State (S.D.) 11-8 on Thursday morning in the opening round of the 2026 Frontier Conference Baseball Championship at Dakota Community Bank and Trust Ballpark.

The Comets and Trojans traded momentum for much of the game before Mayville State broke through in the final frame. Dakota State had moved in front 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth on Cameron Kittridge’s solo home run and Hunter Den Boer’s RBI single, but Mayville State answered immediately.

MSU pushed across four runs in the ninth, with Tony Villarreal delivering the biggest swing, a two-run double that turned a tight game into an 11-8 advantage.

Mayville State set the tone early behind Robert Gurney, who opened the game with a leadoff solo homer to left in the first inning. Dakota State answered in the bottom half when Cameron DeMaria singled to center to score courtesy-runner Quintin Tietz and tie it at 1-1.

The Comets added on in the second after Keegan Neva tripled to center and later scored on Marshall Judisch’s RBI single, then stretched the margin in the third when Kevin Conway homered to left. Mayville State built its lead to 6-3 through four innings and finished with 17 hits, three doubles, one triple and two home runs.

Dakota State stayed within reach with its power. Aidan Marsh hit a two-run homer in the fourth and finished 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs, including two home runs. The Trojans pulled even at 6-6 in the seventh with a three-run inning, highlighted by Camaron Haller’s two-run homer to center.

After Mayville State went back ahead 7-6 in the eighth on an unearned run when Gurney reached on an error, Dakota State answered again in the bottom half before the final swing in the ninth.

Villarreal went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a double for Mayville State, while Neva collected three hits, scored twice and tripled. Gurney finished with two hits, a homer and two RBIs. On the mound, Garret Lundmark worked seven innings for Mayville State, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits while striking out 11 on 115 pitches. As a staff, the Comets struck out 12 and did not issue a walk. Jack Antonio (W, 3-2) picked up the victory in relief after working for two innings and allowing two runs on four hits.

Austin Armstrong started the game on the pitching mound for Dakota State, working three innings. Kellan Johns came in for 4 2/3 innings in relief, followed by Ryland Carroll for the final out of the eighth inning. Brody Thompson (L, 1-4) took the setback, despite giving up four runs on three hits in the top ninth inning before Braylon Bear closed the top ninth.

Dakota State finished with 14 hits and four home runs, but Mayville State’s steady offense across the first, second, third, fourth, eighth and ninth innings proved enough in the neutral-site matchup. In a game played under clear skies with strong wind at the Dickinson ballpark, the final turn belonged to the Comets, who turned a one-run deficit into a three-run win with their decisive ninth-inning rally.

Mayville State moves on to the second round, facing top-seed and No. 2 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time) Thursday.

Dakota State's opponent will be determined after Thursday's games, scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Friday.