Summit League baseball tournament bracket, after first round

Drew Borner kept Omaha's season alive not once but twice Thursday at the Summit League baseball tournament at Anderson Field.

The Millard West graduate hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings before delivering a two-out, two-run single down the right field line in the 10th, giving UNO a 7-6 win over South Dakota State in an elimination game.

Omaha advances to play the loser of Thursday night's Oral Roberts-North Dakota State game in another elimination game at 4 p.m. Friday.

Both of Borner's last two at-bats came against SDSU saves leader Caleb Driessen, another Millard West grad.

"He throws 94, so my approach was just to stay short and take a fastball the other way," the right-handed Borner said.

South Dakota State was in control early as it led 5-0 while UNO had no hits and only two baserunners through five innings. Coach Evan Porter said the deficit felt even bigger for a Mavs team that lost 1-0 in 10 innings Wednesday night, but he said his team stayed with it.

"In baseball, you have to stay present, stay in the moment," Porter said, "and we showed that in the last inning."

The Mavs got back in the game in the sixth when the first two batters were hit by pitches and Henry Zipay hit an RBI single to left. Tyler Bishop, the team's RBI leader, followed with a drive that just cleared the fence in right for a three-run homer to make it 5-4.

Those were Omaha's only two hits through eight innings before they rallied in the ninth.

Paul Schuyler led off the ninth with a solid single to center. Blake Stegner and Tyler Palmer followed with bunt singles to load the bases with no outs before Borner tied it with a sacrifice fly to right. UNO then would have the bases loaded with one out but Driessen got two groundouts, including a forceout at home, to keep the game tied.

SDSU scored on a sac fly in the top of the 10th and Driessen retired the first two Mavs in the bottom of the 10th.

But then UNO got a Cardel Dick single and two walks to load the bases. That set the table for Borner, who lined a shot that landed about a foot inside the right-field line, brought home the tying and winning runs and set off an Omaha celebration behind second base.

"We're a really gritty team and we've come back quite a few times this year," said Borner, who also had a game-deciding homer in a win over Nebraska last month. "We knew we were never out of it."

Photos: Omaha baseball hosts Creighton