OREM, Utah--North Dakota State hit six home runs in a 17-6 rout of Chicago State on the third day of the Division I independent baseball tournament Friday, May 25.

Third baseman Ryan Langlais was 4-for-6 with a double, his team-leading 11th home run, four RBIs and four runs scored to lead the Bison attack.  Left fielder Kole Zimmerman was 3-for-4 with two homers, four RBIs and four runs scored.

NDSU designated hitter Shannon Ekermans hit his third home run of the year and Bison teammates Chris Paterson and Sebastian Miles each hit their first round-trippers of the season.  Ekermans and Miles both finished 3-for-5.

North Dakota State built an 11-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings highlighted by Miles' third-inning grand slam, but NDSU starter Ben Mathiason ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth.

Mathiason got all three outs in the fifth by strikeout, but he issued a bases-loaded walk, a three-run double to Luke Grow, and an RBI single to Preston Pires that cut the margin to 11-5.

Ekermans scored two runners with a single in the eighth to make it 13-5, and Zimmerman hit a three-run homer in NDSU's four-run ninth inning to put the game away.

Mathiason (3-4) got the win with five complete innings of work.  He allowed six hits, three walks, and struck out seven.  Shane Bushland threw three scoreless innings of relief and Jeff Kyllo pitched the ninth.

Grow and Bryan Packard both finished 2-for-5 for Chicago State (4-52).

North Dakota State (15-31) is scheduled to finish the season against New Jersey Tech (15-27) at 9 a.m. MT on Saturday, May 26.

In other action Friday, South Dakota State beat Northern Colorado 11-6 before falling to New Jersey Tech, 7-4.  Tournament host Utah Valley State was playing New York Tech in the night game.