Box Score OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha baseball team exploded for a season-high 19 hits on Sunday, defeating South Dakota State 14-7 and completing a weekend sweep at the Ballpark at Boys Town. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 10-8 (3-0 Summit League), while the Jackrabbits fall to 7-9 (0-3 Summit League).

Junior Cole Gruber led the Mavericks at the dish, finishing 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Junior Clayton Taylor was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four more driven in, while senior Justin Threlkeld finished 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

Senior Daniel Jewett, junior Alex Mortensen and redshirt freshman Ryan Cate also had multi-hit performances with each going 2-for-5. Mortensen scored twice and drove in another run, while Cate had two RBI and Jewett added another run scored.

Sophomore Shane Meltz (1-2) earned his first win of the year in relief, throwing 2.1 innings. He allowed two runs on two hits and walk while issuing one strikeout. SDSU starter Chad Hodges (1-1) took the loss, giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings thrown.

As it did in the first two games of the series, Omaha jumped out first in the first inning, posting four runs on five hits and an error. Gruber and Taylor both had one-out singles to put two runners on for Mortensen, whose RBI single through the left side made it 1-0. Threlkeld then doubled to right to score Taylor, stretching the lead to 2-0. Finally, Cate reached on a throwing error, which allowed Threlkeld and Mortensen to cross, extending the Mavericks' lead to 4-0.

South Dakota State chipped away with a run in the third, as Anthony Schneider led off with a triple down the right field line. Two batters later, Paul Jacobson grounded out to drive in Schneider, cutting the score to 4-1.

Omaha added two more runs on three hits and capitalized on a Jackrabbit error in the fourth. Gruber laced a 3-2 single through the right side and stole second, then came in on Taylor's RBI double to left center. After SDSU shut down the next two batters, Taylor was driven in with Cate's RBI single to center, bringing the tally to 6-1.

In the fifth, Schneider led off for SDSU and was plunked by a pitch, then scored on Eric Danforth's RBI double down the left field line. With two outs, Matt Johnson delivered a two-run double to right center, plating Zach Coppola and Danforth and shearing UNO's lead to 6-4.

Omaha's bats did considerable damage in the fifth, as the Mavericks exploded for eight runs on six hits and an error. Hit-by-pitches by junior Collin Leif and Gruber sandwiched a Schultz single to left that loaded the bases with no outs, and Taylor quickly cleared the bags with a triple down the right field line, making it 9-4. Following an SDSU pitching change, Mortensen and Threlkeld both singled, with Threlkeld's hit driving in Taylor. After a flyout, Jewett singled to left, and an error on the play allowed Mortensen to score. Freshman Cole Patterson then came in to pinch hit, sending a 2-0 pitch over the left-centerfield wall for his first career home run with a three-run shot that spotted the Mavericks a 14-4 advantage.

South Dakota State was not done yet, however, as the Jacks scored twice in the sixth. Two Maverick errors and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, and a Jacobson groundout pushed in Al Robbins for the first run. Coppola then put down an RBI single to short that scored Schneider for a 14-6 tally.

The Jackrabbits added one final run in the ninth, with Cody Sharrow drawing a bases-loaded walk that brought in Luke Ringhofer. Maverick reliever Robert Calvano then got pinch hitter Sam Krick on a swinging strikeout, and a grounder to short doomed Sharrow on a 6-4 out at second for a final score of 14-7.

Omaha returns to action on Friday, March 20, opening a three-game weekend series with North Dakota State. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.