FARGO, N.D. – Drew Fearing collected a game-high three hits to help the North Dakota State baseball team (14-26, 6-16 Summit League) defeat the Fort Wayne Mastodons (25-17, 12-10 Summit League), 6-4, in the series opener of a three-game Summit League series on Friday, May 1, in front of 262 spectators at Newman Outdoor Field.

The win was NDSU's fourth-straight and snapped an eight-game winning streak for IPFW.

North Dakota State and Fort Wayne are scheduled to face-off in game two of the series on Saturday, May 2, at 1 p.m.

Fearing, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Osakis, Minn., went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base to lead the Bison offense. Redshirt sophomore JT Core drove in two runs and posted his fifth double of the season, while senior John Skrbec also collected a pair of runs batted in.  

Junior right-handed pitcher Brian VanderWoude pitched five innings in relief and surrendered no earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks to pick up the win and improve to 3-1 on the season.

Redshirt sophomore starting pitcher Sean Terres threw the opening four innings of the contest, allowing just one earned run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

The Bison jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first after Core's RBI double down the right field line and Skrbec's sacrifice fly.

Fort Wayne pulled within 2-1 with a run in the top of the third, but the Bison answered with a run of their own on a Core RBI single to left field, increasing their lead to 3-1.

NDSU built its advantage to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth after a RBI ground out from Paul Funk.

The Mastodons knotted the game, 4-4, in the top of the fifth when designated hitter Brock Logan hit a three-run home run to right field. The tie didn't last long, though, as the Bison eased back in front, 5-4, in the bottom-half of the inning on Skrbec's RBI single to left.

North Dakota State added its sixth run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth after Fearing hit a RBI single to straightaway center field.

VanderWoude held the Mastodons to just two baserunners and didn't allow a hit in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to secure the 6-4 NDSU victory.

Shane Trevino, Greg Kaiser and Shannon Baker each collected a pair of hits to lead Fort Wayne in the batter's box, while right-hander Trevor Storie took the loss on the mound after surrendering five earned runs on nine hits to fall to 4-5 on the season.