Branca Gives Bison Seven Innings to Help Salvage Split at Oakland

Saturday, May 21

Rochester, Mich.

11 a.m.

North Dakota State

8-42-1

Oakland

13-36

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Dakota State	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	2	2
Oakland (Mich.)	0	1	7	4	0	0	X	12	13	2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Dakota State	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	4	10	2
Oakland (Mich.)	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	9	1

Branca Gives Bison Seven Innings to Help Salvage Split at Oakland

5/21/2005 8:21:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ROCHESTER, Mich.--Tom Branca pitched seven innings and earned his first win of the year to help North Dakota State salvage a doubleheader split at Oakland University in college baseball Saturday, May 21.

Oakland pounded the Bison for a 12-2 win in the opener before North Dakota State took the second game 4-3 in eight innings.

Branca, making only his second start of the season, struck out five and walked none while scattering seven singles and a double. He improved to 1-1 on the year.

North Dakota State closer Neil Wagner pitched a scoreless eighth inning for his third save of the year.

Nate Recknagel's two-run single in the bottom of the fifth brought Oakland back from a 3-1 deficit, and the game went into extra innings before the Bison manufactured the winning run in the top of the eighth.

Gavin Hofer led off with a single through the right side, pinch hitter Nathan Thomas sacrificed Hofer to second with a bunt, and Charles Magedanz singled to center to score the go-ahead run.

Hofer finished the game 3-for-4 and Tim Erickson was 2-for-4 with a double as NDSU pounded out 10 hits in the win.

It was a much better offensive display than the first game when Bryan Bishop threw a complete-game two hitter against the Bison. Bishop walked four but struck out six to even his record at 2-2.

Erickson and Kole Zimmerman had NDSU's only hits. Zimmerman's was a leadoff home run in the sixth inning when the Bison were already down 12-1.

The Golden Grizzlies touched up Bison starter Jay Mitchell for eight runs on seven hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings of work en route to the opening-game win. Mitchell dropped to 1-7 on the year.

North Dakota State (9-42-1) will close out the season Sunday, May 22, with another doubleheader against Oakland beginning at noon ET.