NDSU’s softball and baseball teams continue the early season slog

Softball

The Bison traveled to Huntsville for the weekend to compete in the Bearkat invitational. They faced the host Sam Houston State in their first two games, and Louisiana Tech in their second set of games.

Sam Houston State got the better of NDSU on Friday, winning by just a run. The Bearkats scored once in the third and once in the fifth inning. The Bison were held scoreless until the sixth inning. CF Madyson Camacho hit a big triple to right-center and was knocked in by a DP Cara Beatty single. The late effort wasn’t enough to push the Bison over the edge, and they fell two runs to one. NDSU had just three hits in the game to Sam Houston State’s seven.

NDSU found their offensive stride Saturday afternoon in the first inning. The Bison batted around in the first inning and scored four runs in the process. Cara Beatty was a force again, batting a perfect three-for-three with two RBIs. The Bison’s offense was dormant for the rest of the evening, but it didn’t make a difference in this game. Lainey Lyle was pitching a shutout until Sam Houston State finally scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning. NDSU got their revenge, winning four to one.

The Bison pitching staff pitched another solid game Saturday evening against Louisiana Tech. Kara O’Byrne and Paige Vargas allowed just two runs, but that wasn’t enough to outweigh the Bison’s offensive struggles. NDSU got six hits in seven innings but produced no runs. The Lady Techsters scored a run in the second and another in the sixth, and that was all they needed to seal the victory. The Bison, who are now 6-11 this season, will stampede to Fresno State for five more games next weekend.

Baseball

Due to weather and travel issues, the Bison’s original four-game series against St. Bonaventure in Florida was reduced to a doubleheader on Sunday. They instead picked up games against Eastern Michigan and Saint Louis on Friday.

NDSU and Eastern Michigan competed in a firefight Friday morning. When it was all said and done, the Bison had more ammunition. By the end of the third inning, NDSU led the Eagles seven to one. They tacked on another five in the sixth inning to make it 12 to three. Eastern Michigan made a late push in the eighth inning with a four-run outburst, but it wasn’t nearly enough to dig them out of the hole they had gotten into. The Bison finished the 12 to seven victory with 15 hits and no errors. 2B Peter Brookshaw hit two triples in the game, which ties the NDSU school record. Max Loven was credited with the win on the mound.

The afternoon game against St. Louis was a sadly different story. The Billikens scored a run in the first inning and three runs in the third. Saint Louis managed four hits in a row to start the third inning, which broke the game wide open. NDSU crawled back with the help of their relievers but eventually fell short by a run. The Billikens claimed victory with a final score of four to three. Brookshaw was again the impact player. He had two RBIs in the game, one from a single and one from a sacrifice fly. The Bison are 3-7 going into Sunday’s double-header. They face the Golden Gophers Tuesday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.