Box Score (PDF)

ITTA BENA, Miss. – The North Dakota State University baseball team opened the 2017 season with a 10-4 victory over the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils Friday, Feb. 17, at Magnolia Field in Itta Bena, Mississippi.

The Bison (1-0) are scheduled to face the Delta Devils (0-1) in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m.

Junior infielder Mason Pierzchalski went 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run, RBI and three runs scored, and sophomore outfielder Alec Abercrombie went 2-for-3 in the batter's box with two doubles and two RBIs to lead the North Dakota State offense.

Freshman Tucker Rohde also belted a pair of doubles, and redshirt junior Matt Elsenpeter added a triple. Drew Fearing, Ben Petersen, JT Core and Logan Busch each tallied a double, respectively.

Senior right-handed starting pitcher Luke Lind tossed five innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and just one walk to earn his inaugural win of the season. Redshirt junior lefty Chris Choles threw four scoreless innings in relief to record his first save of 2017, and collected a pair of strikeouts.

NDSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning after Pierzchalski homered to left-center. It was Pierzchalski's second career round-tripper and his first since 2015.

The Bison built their lead to 5-0 after scoring five runs in the top of the third. Logan Busch, Fearing and Rohde plated the first two runs of the frame with back-to-back-to-back doubles before Ben Petersen hit a sacrifice fly to plate Rohde for the third run of the inning. Abercrombie smashed a two-out, two RBI double for the final two runs of the frame.

NDSU added three runs in the fifth and one in the eighth to secure the victory.

Ivan Garcia and Kevin Gonzal each drove in two runs to pace the Delta Devils at the plate.

MVSU starter Connor Shepp (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound after giving up six earned runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.