Box Score Photo GalleryCORVALLIS, Ore. – The North Dakota State baseball team (25-25) came up short in its bid to upset No. 1 nationally seeded Oregon State (43-12), falling, 2-1 to the Beavers Friday, May 30, in the opening round of the NCAA Corvallis Regional at Goss Stadium in front of a sellout crowd of 3,408.
The Bison are scheduled to face No. 2 seed UNLV Saturday, May 31, at 2:05 p.m. PT (4:05 p.m. CT) in an elimination game on ESPN3 while Oregon State advances to play No. 3 seed UC Irvine in the regional semifinals at 8:05 p.m. PT (10:05 p.m. CT).
Right-hander
David Ernst pitched seven-and one-third innings, allowing only two earned runs on 10 Oregon State hits while matching his season-high with six strikeouts and walking three, but took the loss to fall to 5-5 overall on the mound.
Kyle Kleinendorst went 2-for-4 at the plate with a RBI and hit his team-high fourth home run of the season to lead the NDSU offense.
Kleinendorst gave the Bison an early 1-0 advantage in the top of the second inning after he blasted a 3-1 pitch into the right field bleachers. Oregon State responded though and knotted the game at one in the bottom-half of the inning on a RBI fielder's choice from Trever Morrison.
After the Beavers tied the contest at one in the second, Ernst and Oregon State starter Andrew Moore took over, holding both offenses scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when the Beavers' Dylan Davis sent a 1-1 pitch from Ernst over the left centerfield wall to give Oregon State the 2-1 lead.
Oregon State's Moore pitched eight innings, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out a career-high 14 batters with no walks to earn the win and improve to 6-5 on the season.
Davis, Gabe Clark, Michael Howard and Kavin Keyes posted two hits each to pace the Beaver offense.
