NDSU edges SDSU in rubber game of Jacks’ home away from home series

OMAHA, NE (Dakota News Now) - North Dakota State right-hander Tristen Roehrich survived a shaky first inning to end his outing with five shutout frames in leading the Bison to a 5-4 victory over South Dakota State Saturday night in the decisive game of a three-game Summit League baseball series.

In winning the game that was moved to Tal Anderson Field, NDSU improved to 7-20 overall and 4-2 in The Summit League. The Jackrabbits dropped to 6-16 on the season, including a 2-4 mark in league play.

Both teams hung a crooked number on the scoreboard in the first inning, with North Dakota State scoring twice and the Jackrabbits responding with three of their runs. An RBI groundout off the bat of Peter Brookshaw scored Cadyn Schwabe, who led off the game by being hit by a pitch, for the first run and Jack Steil added a run-scoring single after James Dunlap legged out a double on a hit to shallow center field against SDSU starter Jack Kruger.

SDSU responded in the home half of the first as Jess Bellows singled and moved to third on Ryan McDonald’s double to the left-field corner. Bellows later scored on a Nic Nelson groundout before Cade Stuff took a Roehrich pitch over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer.

NDSU took the lead for good in the top of the third when Stephen Lund laced a double off SDSU reliever Blake Kunz into the left-field corner with the bases loaded to score both Brookshaw and Dunlap.

The Bison tacked on a run in the fifth on Druw Sackett’s second home run of the series, a solo blast to left. Sackett and Lund each tallied two of NDSU’s seven hits.

Roehrich, meanwhile, settled into a groove, limiting the Jackrabbits to only one hit — a triple by Luke Ira in the fourth — over the remainder of his outing. He struck out nine and walked three before giving way to Parker Puetz, who closed out the Bison victory with five strikeouts over the final three innings.

The only blemish against Puetz was a solo home run by Ryan McDonald in the bottom of the seventh. It was McDonald’s second home run of the series and team-leading 10th of the season. He was the lone Jackrabbit with more than one hit, going 2-for-3 to pace SDSU’s six-hit effort.

Brady Hawkins kept the Jackrabbits in the game with three shutout innings of relief and Eli Sundquist added a scoreless frame in the ninth.

UP NEXT

The Jackrabbits are scheduled to play Wednesday afternoon at Minnesota. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Siebert Field on the U of M campus in Minneapolis.

NOTES

• SDSU leads the all-time series, 125-80

• NDSU now holds a 36-35 advantage in Summit League regular season games against the Jackrabbits since both teams joined the league in 2008

• McDonald has matched his home run total from a season ago, when he shared the team lead with Dawson Parry and Luke Ira

• McDonald’s home run was the 28th of his career, tying him with Galen Carver (1978-81) for 10th place on the SDSU career charts

• Kunz made his first relief appearance of the season after five starts

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