Box Score (PDF)
FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State University baseball team held off a ninth-inning rally to earn a 6-5 victory over the Valley City State University Vikings on Wednesday, April 20, in front of 480 spectators at Newman Outdoor Field.
Senior
Taylor Sanders went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in a run to lead North Dakota State (18-17), while sophomore
Matt Elsenpeter hit his first career home run.
Brayden Resch added two hits, including a triple, and compiled a game-high three RBIs.
NDSU sophomore
Colin Baumgard (1-0) picked up his first win of 2016 on the mound after allowing no earned runs on just one hit in three innings of work with three strikeouts and one walk.
Luke Lind posted his first save of the season after tossing three innings and surrendering two earned runs on one hit with four strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Valley City State (16-27) gained an early 3-0 advantage after scoring three runs in the top of the first-inning.
The Bison pulled within 3-2 after plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Elsenpeter led-off the inning by belting a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence, before
Paul Funk hit an RBI single to right field for the second run of the frame.
North Dakota State added a trio of runs in the fifth-inning to gain its first lead of the game, 5-3.
Drew Fearing and Funk started off the frame with a pair of walks, before Resch brought them home on a one-out triple down the right field line. Sanders scored Resch on an RBI single to left for the third run of the inning.
The Bison built their advantage to 6-3 with a run in the seventh.
Ben Petersen worked a one-out walk, before scoring on Resch's RBI single through the left side.
The Vikings scored a pair of runs and loaded the bases with one-out in the ninth-inning, but Lind ended the threat with a strikeout and pop-up to second base.
Jared Meiklejohn and Jake Rambow both tallied two hits and an RBI to lead VCSU at the plate.
Steven Velarde (0-3) suffered the loss on the mound for Valley City State after giving up four earned runs on four hits in three innings with two strikeouts and three walks.
North Dakota State is scheduled to open a three-game Summit League series against Western Illinois on Friday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field.
