FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State clinched a berth in the Summit League playoffs with an 8-7 win over Western Illinois in the first of a four-game series at Newman Outdoor Field on Thursday, May 19.

The win moved NDSU to 19-29 overall and 13-11 in The Summit League, and put the Bison out of reach of fifth-place IPFW, which lost twice Thursday at South Dakota State, and Southern Utah, which lost twice at Oral Roberts.

North Dakota State is guaranteed of at least the No. 4 seed for the double-elimination tournament, which begins next Thursday, May 26, at Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Bison can clinch the No. 3 seed with one more victory in the remaining three games with Western Illinois.  The Fighting Leathernecks (20-34, 12-13) are still alive with a 1 1/2 game cushion over SUU and IPFW.

Western Illinois jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run single by Bryan Jordan and an RBI bunt single by Danny Marcuzzo.

The Bison got runs in the first and second but trailed 6-2 in the fifth before going ahead.  Tim Colwell singled and scored two batters later on Blake Turbak's second RBI single of the night, and Nic Obey hit a three-run triple to right field before scoring on a wild relay throw home to make it 7-6.

NDSU starter Colby Tognetti got 1-2-3 innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth before Obey scored the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth on a bunt single by Wes Satzinger.

Western Illinois threatened in the ninth when Matt Igara laced a one-out double down the left-field line and scored four pitches later on Dan Dispensa's triple to deep left-center to make it 8-7.

Tognetti stayed in and got two ground balls to shortstop Max Casper, one with the infield playing in, and improved to 4-5 with the victory.  He threw 135 pitches, scattered 11 hits, walked two and struck out three in the final home start of his career.  It was his third complete game.

Western Illinois starter Dan Russell allowed eight runs, six earned, on 14 hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Obey and Colwell both finished 3-for-4 for NDSU, and the Bison got two hits apiece from Turbak, Satzinger and Nick Colwell.

Igara scored three runs in the leadoff spot for Western Illinois and was one of four Leathernecks with two hits in the game.

The teams are scheduled to play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday, May 20, and the final game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 21.