Five-run fifth inning propels the Bison to an 8-3 victory
Due to the weather in Brookings, S.D. this weekend, the North Dakota State men’s baseball team played a one-game series against Summit League foe South Dakota State. In Friday night’s contest, the Bison produced eight runs on 14 hits and a solid performance from RHP Max Loven to secure the win and stay atop the Summit League standings.
Scoreless through the first four innings, NDSU (24-13, 12-4 Summit) broke the game open in the fifth, scoring five runs on six hits. Druw Sackett, batting .302, cracked a two-RBI double to get things going. Peter Brookshaw followed that up with an RBI double of his own, pushing the score to 3-0. The Bison got two more runs off RBI singles from Cadyn Schwabe and Logan Williams to make the score 5-0 to end the inning.
The Bison kept things going in their 28th game away from home in the sixth inning when Brookshaw collected his second RBI hit of the night, a single to left field, to extend the score to 6-0. The Jackrabbits (16-18, 7-6 Summit), who are currently fourth in the Summit League, pushed back in the bottom half of the sixth inning with a double from Drew Beazley. With the score 6-1 in the eighth inning, Logan Williams gave the Herd two more runs off his two-RBI single to make it 8-1. In the final frame, SDSU’s Drew Beazley made his mark yet again, as he cranked a two-run homer in the ninth, but that was all the Jackrabbits could muster, as Bison reliever Skyler Riedinger closed out the frame to seal the 8-3 win.
The Bison, who lead the Summit League in home runs (39), on-base percentage (.381), and slugging percentage (.428), were very productive at the plate Friday night, as four different players posted two-hit outings. Most notably was Brookshaw (3-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), Sackett (3-5, 2 RBIs) and Williams (2-4, 3 RBIs).
On the mound, Max Loven picked up win number six in his best performance of the year. Through seven frames, he tossed seven strikeouts and one walk, only allowing one run. Following this performance, Loven (6-4) and the rest of the Bison pitching staff have a 4.01 ERA this season, good enough for best in the Summit League and 26th best in the nation.
This upcoming week, the Bison will try again to play their first home game at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, when they take on Mayville State (16-21) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Following that midweek matchup, NDSU will have a huge opportunity when they travel to Florida to take on the Miami Hurricanes (31-12), who are currently ranked sixth in the nation.
Bison pitcher Max Loven was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 24.
Loven named Summit League Pitcher of the Week
North Dakota State pitcher Max Loven was named Summit League Pitcher of the week for the third time in his career. On Friday, the sophomore from Brooklyn Park, M.N., limited SDSU to a .200 batting average and posted a 1.29 ERA. His performance marked the seventh time this season striking out four or more batters, as he continues to be the Bison’s go-to guy in series openers. Loven joins Tristen Roehrich (March 21) and Evan Sankey (February 21 & 28) in earning Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors.