FORT WAYNE, Ind. - North Dakota State rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 6-4 win over Fort Wayne in the second game of a Summit League baseball doubleheader Sunday, April 14.

IPFW (15-16, 3-5) won the seven-inning opening game 4-3 despite committing four errors and striking out 10 times against North Dakota State pitcher John Straka, who dropped to 5-1.  Straka walked two and allowed seven hits.

NDSU (15-14, 3-3) almost rallied to win the opener.  It was 4-2 before back-to-back one-out errors set up an RBI single by Jon Hechtner that put runners at first and second.  A fly ball and ground ball ended the game.

The Bison jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second game.  Hechtner led off the third with a hit-by-pitch and stole second before scoring on Tim Colwell's one-out single.  Kyle Kleinendorst and David Ernst added two-out RBI singles.

IPFW took advantage of two NDSU errors to score four unearned runs in the sixth.  Kristian Gayday singled in Malcolm White after a leadoff error, two runs scored on a throwing error by reliever Simon Anderson, and Evan VanSumeren hit a sacrifice fly.

Ernst's one-out single in the ninth was the first of four straight NDSU hits.  Pinch hitter Nick Altavilla doubled, pinch hitter Paul Funk singled in pinch runner Mark Hermes to tie the game 4-4, Hechtner bunted in pinch runner John Skrbec, and Funk scored on Colwell's two-out hit.

NDSU closer Kyle Kingsley came on for his third save of the season, giving up a one-out single but stranding that base runner with a strikeout of Kevin Wirth to end the game.  Anderson moved to 1-1 with the victory.

Michael Leach was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the opening game.  Colwell was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Ernst finished 2-for-4 in the second game.  Ernst pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed five hits with two strikeouts and no walks as the Game 2 starter.

Gayday and Clay Hathaway each had two hits in the second game for IPFW, and starter Brandon Pease struck out eight batters in six innings of work.  Reliever Kyle Sorensen allowed three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings and dropped to 1-1 with the loss.

IPFW starter Steve Danielak (4-2) allowed one earned run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts in six innings for the win in the opener and Mastodons reliever Travis Reboulet notched his third save.

The Mastodons needed just eight pitches to go ahead in the opener.  Leadoff man Tyler Shepherd walked and scored on Brandon Soat's double, and Soat moved to third on a ground ball before scoring during a pickoff play between first and second base.

NDSU made it a 2-1 game in the second when Kirk Kenneally drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sac bunt and scored on Leach's single, but Soat scored again in the third on Hathaway's single to make it 3-1.

The Bison pulled within 3-2 when Blake Turbak reached on an error to start the fourth, moved to third a Kenneally single, and scored on Leach's two-out hit.  IPFW pushed its lead to 4-2 in the sixth when Kendall Whitman was hit by a pitch and scored three batters later.

North Dakota State is scheduled to play home Summit League doubleheaders against last-place Western Illinois on Friday, April 19, and first-place Omaha on Sunday, April 21.