Box Score
FARGO, N.D. - Left-handers Jake Heck and Zach Mayo combined for six scoreless innings and five different players had RBIs as North Dakota State beat Fort Wayne 6-2 to sweep a Summit League baseball series Saturday, May 18, at Newman Outdoor Field.
Heck struck out four and walked none in four scheduled innings and improved to 2-0 with the victory. Simon Anderson pitched the final three innings for his fourth save of the season as the Bison improved to 24-25 overall and secured fourth place in The Summit League at 11-13.
All nine NDSU players reached base at least once led by center fielder Tim Colwell going 2-for-5 and right fielder Jon Hechtner hitting 3-for-5. Second baseman Wes Satzinger walked and scored twice.
The Bison jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Colwell and Hechtner started the inning with back-to-back singles and third baseman John Skrbec hit a two-out RBI single.
NDSU made it 2-0 in the fourth when first baseman Kirk Kenneally hit a two-out single and scored on catcher Mark Hermes' triple down the right-field line.
Blake Turbak's two-out single scored Satzinger from second to give NDSU a 3-0 lead in the fifth, Hechtner hit a leadoff triple and scored in the seventh, and the Bison capitalized on a dropped line drive later in the inning to plate two unearned runs for a 6-0 lead.
IPFW scored twice in the eighth when Markus Kalber hit a leadoff single and scored three batters later on Steve Lowden's single to right field. Clay Hathaway was hit by a pitch and scored on a wild pitch.
IPFW starter Brandon Pease threw five innings allowing three runs on eight hits with one strikeout and three walks and dropped to 1-3 with the loss. Lowden was 2-fo-3 with a double and Kevin Wirth finished 2-for-4.
No. 3 seed North Dakota State will play No. 2 seed tournament host Oakland in the first round of the Summit League baseball tournament Thursday, May 23, at the OU Baseball Field in Rochester, Mich.