Wentz, Bison Avoid Sweep With 5-4 Win Over Jacks

Sunday, May 16

Fargo, N.D.

1 p.m.

North Dakota State

21-27, 10-13

South Dakota State

33-17, 16-8

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

Wentz, Bison Avoid Sweep With 5-4 Win Over Jacks

5/16/2010 9:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

FARGO, N.D.--Sophomore right-hander Zach Wentz pitched his fourth complete game of the year as North Dakota State avoided a four-game series sweep with a 5-4 victory over South Dakota State in Summit League baseball Sunday, May 16, at Newman Outdoor Field.

Wentz (5-2) allowed four runs on 10 hits with five walks and four strikeouts in nine innings as North Dakota State upped its record to 21-27 overall and 10-13 in The Summit League.

North Dakota State got the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Zach Heidmann hit a leadoff double, Nic Obey walked, Michael Riewer made a sacrifice bunt, and Tyler Steen hit an infield ground ball.

Wentz retired the Jackrabbits (33-17, 16-8) in order in the seventh, pitched around two errors in a scoreless eighth, and got a pair of fly balls after a one-out single in the ninth. He threw 147 pitches in the victory and SDSU stranded 13 runners on base.

North Dakota State started the scoring in the fourth inning when Obey hit his sixth home run of the year. It was a two-out, two-run shot to right field that scored Wentz, who reached with a one-out single.

South Dakota State scored all four of its runs with two outs in the top of the fifth. After Billy Stitz led off with a single and moved to second on Beau Hanowski's sac bunt, Joel Blake flied out to center field before the Jacks put five straight men on base.

Jesse Sawyer hit a single to left field to plate Stitz, and John Lee doubled to right field to put two runners in scoring position for Eric Cain, who blooped a single into short right-center field to put the Jacks ahead 3-2.

After a walk to Zach Briggs, designated hitter Zach Rhodes drove in Cain with a single to right field to make it 4-2, but South Dakota State managed only one hit over the final 4 1/3 innings.

Obey and Steen were both 2-for-3 for the Bison, Heidmann finished 2-for-4, and Kenny Beese set an NDSU single-season record with his sixth triple in the fifth inning.

Cain was 4-for-5, and Stitz and Lee were both 2-for-5 for the Jackrabbits. SDSU starter Alex Oberle allowed five runs on eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts in six innings and dropped to 7-4 with the loss.

NDSU remains in sixth place in The Summit League, but the Bison are just one game out of playoff position with four games left in the regular season.

North Dakota State is scheduled to play a four-game series against Oral Roberts beginning Thursday, May 20, at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.

The Golden Eagles are tied with South Dakota State for second place in the league after splitting a four-game series at Centenary.