OMAHA, Neb. – Alex Mortenson drove in four runs and Shane Meltz pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win as Omaha beat North Dakota State 12-7 on Sunday, March 22, to sweep a three-game Summit League baseball series at the Ballpark at Boys Town.
 
Designated hitter Taylor Sanders and outfielder Ben Petersen each had four hits for North Dakota State, which dropped to 5-14 overall and 1-5 in The Summit League with its fourth straight loss.
 
Omaha, the two-time defending Summit League regular season champion, won its sixth straight to improve to 13-8 overall and 6-0 in the league.  Cole Gruber was 4-for-5 to lead the Mavericks at the plate.
 
North Dakota State jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third.  Omaha native Aiden Hook led off with a single and scored on Sanders' two-out hit, Danny Regan drew a bases-loaded walk and Juan Gamez was hit by a pitch in the following at-bat for the two-run lead.
 
Omaha got all three runs back in the bottom of the third and broke open an 11-3 lead through seven innings.
 
Sanders hit a two-run, two-out home run in the eighth, his first of the season, and pinch hitters JD Larimer and David Ernst each hit RBI doubles in the ninth for the Bison.
 
NDSU starter Reed Pfannenstein (0-2) pitched three innings allowing four runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
 
North Dakota State continues Summit League play with a three-game series at Western Illinois beginning Friday, March 27.  The Fighting Leathernecks (4-14, 2-4 Summit) are scheduled to host Illinois-Springfield on Wednesday, March 25, after dropping 2 of 3 at home to South Dakota State.