EVANSVILLE, Ind.--Mike Germain hit a three-run homer and North Dakota State scored three times in the ninth inning to take a 7-4 win over Central Michigan in the first game of the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic on Friday, March 14.

It was the first career home run for Germain, a sophomore from Merrifield, Minn., who entered the game as NDSU's third leading hitter with a .357 average.

Trailing 1-0, the Bison scored four runs in the fourth inning.  Sebastian Miles singled and Ryan Langlais doubled with one out before Germain hit NDSU's first homer of the season.

Kole Zimmerman followed with a single, moved to second on a throwing error, and scored on the next play when Gavin Hofer's single gave NDSU a 4-1 lead.

Central Michigan (3-10) tied the game in the seventh when the Chippewas strung together a walk and four singles, the last hit by Billy Anderson scoring two runs with two outs to tie the game at 4.

In the ninth, Hofer doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch with one out, and the Bison (1-6) loaded the bases with two-out walks to Eric Nutzhorn and Devin Flynn.

Central Michigan reliever Jesse Hernandez came on to walk Luke Otto and force in Hofer with the go-ahead run, Miles reached on an infield error that scored Nutzhorn, and Flynn came in on a walk to Langlais.

NDSU reliever Shane Bushland got the final three outs after a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth to close out the win.  Bushland (1-0) pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts in relief of Jake Laber, who struck out eight batters in 6 1/3 innings.

Langlais and Hofer both finished 2-for-4 for North Dakota State.  Anderson and James Teas were both 2-for-4 for Central Michigan, and Tyler Stovall was 2-for-5.

North Dakota State is scheduled to play tournament host Evansville at 3 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting.  The start of Friday's game was postponed three hours due to rain.