NDSU plates 10 runs in a seven-inning game

In the long-awaited home opener at Newman Outdoor Stadium in Fargo, N.D., the North Dakota State men’s baseball team rolled past in-state rival Mayville State 10-0 on Tuesday night. In a game that ended on a walk-off balk by MSU pitcher Alexander DeCaro, the Bison used four runs in the fourth and seventh innings to propel them to their 25th win of the season.

In the third inning, Druw Sackett broke the game open with a two-run home run that scored Calen Schwabe (team-leading .351 batting average), who singled to start the inning. In the next at-bat, Peter Brookshaw got on first with a sharp single to left field. Following that, Brookshaw would steal second and third base to set up Logan Williams at the plate.

Williams, who leads the Summit League in home runs with 10, sent a shot to deep right field and was able to reach on an error by Comet right fielder Tyler Ferrera, who completely misjudged a ball in the evening light. In the next at-bat, Jack Simonsen was hit by a pitch, which put two runners on for Cadyn Schwabe. Seizing the opportunity, Schwabe made contact on a bunt and knocked in Logan Williams. In the big inning, NDSU pushed the score to 4-0 totaling five hits and an impressive five stolen bases.

In the fourth inning, Peter Brookshaw kept things rolling for the Herd, as he ripped an RBI double to right field that scored Calen Schwabe, who singled to start the inning, making it 5-0. After Druw Sackett walked with two outs, Logan Williams picked up his second RBI on the day when he singled to left field, scoring Brookshaw.

With the score at 6-0 in favor of NDSU in the bottom of the seventh, senior Jack Simonsen cracked a leadoff double off Comet pitcher Preston Edinger, the sixth pitcher used by MSU in the contest. In the next couple of at-bats, Edinger would load the bases, walking Bison batters Terrell Huggins and Charley Hesse. Edinger would conclude his short performance by walking yet another batter in Calen Schwabe, which scored Simonsen to make it 8-0.

With the bases still loaded, Alexander DeCaro entered the game for Mayville State. The first batter he faced was Brock Anderson, who doubled to score Hesse and Huggins. Following that, DeCaro would balk, which scored Schwabe, who was on third. Due to the 10-run rule used by the NCAA, the contest was over, and NDSU had a 10-0 victory in their home opener.

At the plate, Peter Brookshaw and Calen Schwabe both went 2-3 with two runs and one RBI. In all, the Bison spread the offensive attack tonight, as at least seven players registered a hit. The Bison were also a force to be reckoned with on the basepaths, as they set a season-high five steals in the third inning.

Caden Edwards, who was the third of five NDSU pitchers used by Head Coach Tyler Oakes in Tuesday’s contest secured his first win on the mound, tossing two strikeouts over two innings of work. Another notable performance on the night was Minnetonka, Minn., native Wyatt Nelson, who struck out the side in the sixth on his way to five total strikeouts. The Comets, who had leadoff batters reach in five of seven innings threatened the Bison multiple times, but the Bison pitchers were able to shut them down.

This weekend, the Bison (25-13, 12-4 Summit) travel to Coral Gables, Fla., to take on the fifth-ranked Miami Hurricanes in a three-game series at Alex Rodriguez Park. On Friday, the first pitch is set for 6 p.m., on Saturday at 5 p.m. and on Sunday at 11 a.m.