Game 1 Box Score (PDF) |
Game 2 Box Score (PDF)
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The North Dakota State University baseball team swept a doubleheader at Arkansas-Pine Bluff to open the 2016 season on Friday, Feb. 19, at Torii Hunter Baseball Complex, winning game one, 2-0, before taking game two, 8-7 in 10 innings.
Making his first start since early last season, NDSU southpaw
Parker Trewin tossed four scoreless innings in the season opener, allowing just one hit while striking out four and walking one. Senior
Brian VanderWoude (1-0) entered for Trewin in the bottom of the fifth inning and tossed four scoreless frames with three strikeouts and no walks to pick up his first win of the season, while
Sean Terres finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning to secure his first career save.
After neither team was able to cross home plate in the first eight innings of game one, North Dakota State finally broke the scoreless draw in the top of the ninth after
Ben Petersen doubled down the left field line to lead-off the inning, and scored on a double-play. The Bison added another run when
Brayden Resch crossed home plate on an Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2) wild pitch.
Petersen, Resch,
Mason Pierzchalski and
JT Core each tallied a hit to lead North Dakota State in the game.
Jaylen Jackson went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead UAPB in game one, while Blake Estep took the loss on the mound for Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a game-high nine strikeouts and two walks.
NDSU trailed 4-1 after the Golden Lions scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning in game two before plating four runs of its own in the top of the third to take a 5-4 lead.
Drew Fearing hit an RBI single up the middle to plate
Matt Elsenpeter, who led-off the inning with a single to left, before Resch blasted a three-run homer to right center to give the Bison their first advantage in the contest. It was Resch's first round-tripper of the season.
UAPB answered, though, tying the game in the bottom-half of the frame on a sacrifice fly to center.
The Lions regained a 7-5 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Bison once again responded, knotting contest at seven with a two runs in the top of the sixth on a
Juan Gamez RBI triple to left center and an Elsenpeter RBI single through the middle.
The game remained deadlocked after nine, sending the contest to extra innings.
The Bison took the lead in the top of the 10th on a sacrifice fly to centerfield from Gamez. Resch led-off the inning with a single, before Pierzchalski was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter
Jeron Terres reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases, setting up Gamez's go-ahead fly-ball.
Luke Lind tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th to seal the 8-7 triumph for North Dakota State.
Resch and Gamez both went 2-for-4 at the plate and drove in three runs to lead the Bison in the nightcap, while Elsenpeter also posted a 2-for-4 performance in the batter's box. Elsenpeter and Fearing each added an RBI in the contest.
Lind (1-0) tallied the win on the mound after posting a career-high five strikeouts and allowing only three hits in four-and two-thirds innings of relief.
Jordan Knox paced UAPB in game two with a 3-of-5 effort at the plate and three RBI. Skyler Henson picked up the loss for the Lions after surrendering the game-winning run.
North Dakota State is scheduled to conclude the three-game series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a single game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.
