IPFW Powers Past North Dakota State With Two Late Homers, 6-5

Sunday, April 20

Fort Wayne, Ind.

11 a.m.

North Dakota State

9-22, 0

IPFW

9-24-1, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Dakota State	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	5	6	0
IPFW	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	3	X	6	10	2

IPFW Powers Past North Dakota State With Two Late Homers, 6-5

4/20/2008 8:43:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind.--Jared Davis and Garrett Seagraves hit two late home runs to rally IPFW past North Dakota State 6-5 and earn a four-game series split in Summit League baseball Sunday, April 20.

Davis hit a two-out, two-run homer to chase NDSU starter Shane Bushland and pull the Mastodons within 4-3 in the seventh, and ninth-hitting Seagraves hit a three-run shot off reliever Chris Paterson with two outs in the eighth to put IPFW ahead 6-4.

North Dakota State (9-22, 2-9) got one run back in the top of the ninth when designated hitter Shannon Ekermans led off with his second homer of the year.

Ekermans (2-4) was the losing pitcher despite throwing only two-thirds of an inning in relief of Bushland. He came on to end the seventh but put two of the three go-ahead runs on base in the eighth with a walk and hit-by-pitch.

It was the first start of the year for Bushland, who earned a relief win and a save in Saturday's doubleheader sweep. He allowed three runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and no walks in 6 2/3 innings.

Ekermans hit 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Ryan Langlais, Kenny Beese and David Williams had the only other Bison hits, including Williams' first home run in the fourth inning that gave NDSU a 3-1 lead.

The Bison started the scoring in the second when Ekermans doubled and Williams walked with one out. Ekermans came in when Kyle Harrison reached on an error and Williams scored on Beese's single up the middle with two outs.

IPFW (9-24-1, 5-7) pulled within a run in the bottom of the second when Seagraves lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. It was 3-1 in the sixth when Langlais led off with a single, moved to second on an outfield error, then scored on an Ekermans double one out later to put NDSU ahead 4-1.

Seagraves was 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored in the No. 9 hole for IPFW. Davis, Mark Carden and Aaron Kerns each had two hits.

IPFW starter Chad Nielsen was on the hook for the loss despite striking out six in 6 2/3 innings, but the win went to reliever Tyler Baatz (2-3), whose only mistake in 2 1/3 innings was the ninth-inning homer to Ekermans.

North Dakota State returns home next Saturday and Sunday for a four-game Summit League series with Oakland (8-18, 3-6) at Newman Outdoor Field. Game time is 1 p.m. for doubleheaders both days.