Bison Win League Opener at Western Illinois, 8-1

Friday, April 13

Macomb, Ill.

3:30 PM

North Dakota State

23-7, 1-0

Western Illinois

10-19-1, 1-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Dakota State	0	1	0	0	3	1	0	3	0	8	12	0
Western Illinois	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	9	3

Bison Win League Opener at Western Illinois, 8-1

4/13/2012 11:11:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. - Zach Wentz went 3-for-5 with three RBIs to lead North Dakota State to an 8-1 win at Western Illinois in Summit League baseball Friday, April 13, at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

John Straka held the Fighting Leathernecks to one run on eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks in 7 2/3 innings and improved to 5-2 with the win. Kyle Kingsley got the final four outs.

Max Casper was 3-for-5 and scored three NDSU runs, and Nick Anderson also hit 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored.

Wentz drove in the eventual winning run with a fifth-inning single as the Bison (23-7, 1-0) took advantage of two Western Illinois errors to score three runs and go ahead 4-0.

Another RBI single by Wentz in the sixth scored Casper after a leadoff single, and the Bison went up 8-0 in the eighth when Nick Colwell hit a two-run double and scored on Wentz's double.

NDSU hit four doubles altogether, including Blake Turbak's two-out shot down the left-field line in the second inning that brought in Anderson after a leadoff single and Tyler Steen's sac bunt.

Straka held Western Illinois (10-19-1, 1-4-0) to five singles over the first six innings and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh before the Leathernecks broke through in the eighth.

Austin Cowen hit a one-out single, went to third on a two-out hit by Steve Kedroski and scored on Tom Lilja's single to center field to chase Straka after 115 pitches.

Kingsley got a fielder's choice to end the eighth and allowed a one-out single in the ninth before getting a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

The Bison led 1-0 when Western Illinois threatened to tie or go ahead in the fourth. Lilja and Ryan Cowhey bounced back-to-back singles through the infield, but Straka got Brent Turner on a called strike three to end it.

NDSU led 5-0 before the Leathernecks threatened again in the sixth. Matt Igara got hit by a pitch and moved up on Kedroski's single and a fly ball before a foul popup ended the frame.

Cowen, Kedroski, Lilja and Cowhey each had two hits apiece for Western Illinois. Starter Rich Mascheri (1-6) allowed five runs, one earned, on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in the loss.

North Dakota State and Western Illinois are scheduled to continue the series with a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, April 14, and the series finale is scheduled for 12 p.m. Sunday, April 15.