Box Score (PDF)

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The North Dakota State University baseball team fell to the Michigan State University Spartans, 9-5, on Sunday, March 13, at North Charlotte Regional Park to conclude play in the Snowbird Baseball Classic.

North Dakota State (9-5) is slated to finish its road trip in the Sunshine State with a 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) game against Army on Tuesday, March 15, at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater.

Brayden Resch, Mason Pierzchalski, JT Core and Juan Gamez each tallied two hits in four plate appearances to lead NDSU in the batter's box.

Bison right-hander Brian VanderWoude (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season after surrendering two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 3.1 innings of relief.

North Dakota State trailed the Spartans (13-1), 2-0, before rallying for three runs in the bottom of the second-inning to take a 3-2 lead. Jayse McLean hit a towering double that just missed clearing the right field fence to plate the Bison's first run of the game, before Matt Elsenpeter knotted the contest with a sacrifice fly to left. A Michigan State throwing error allowed McLean to race home and give NDSU its first lead of the game at 3-2.

The Spartans tied the contest in the top of the fourth via a solo home run to left-center from Dan Durkin, but the Bison answered, regaining the advantage, 4-3, in the bottom-half of the frame when Drew Fearing smacked an RBI single to left field.

NDSU increased its lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth on a Gamez sacrifice fly to left.

Michigan State responded, though, scoring four runs – two unearned, in the top of the eighth to go up 7-5. MSU added two more runs in the ninth to increase its lead to 9-5.

Matt Byars led the Spartans with four hits in five plate appearances to go along with an RBI, while Durkin, Justin Hovis and Kris Simonton each drove in two runs.

Andrew Gonzalez (2-0) picked up the win on the mound after pitching two innings in relief.