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FARGO, N.D. – In his final start at Newman Outdoor Field, senior pitcher
Reed Pfannenstein tossed his first career complete-game shutout to lift the North Dakota State University baseball team to an 8-0 victory over the Western Illinois University Leathernecks on Saturday, May 13, in the second game of a three-game Summit League series.
With the win, the Bison improve to 26-22 overall and set a new program record for Summit League wins in a season at 16-10. Western Illinois drops to 18-27 on the season and 12-12 in league action with the setback.
A native of Rockville, Minn., Pfannenstein went the full nine innings and allowed no earned runs on just three hits with four strikeouts and three walks on 100 total pitches to improve to 6-4 on the mound.
Junior
Logan Busch went 3-for-4, including a double, while fellow junior
Matt Elsenpeter drove in a game-high three runs on his first home run of the season, leading NDSU at the plate.
Bennett Hostetler (triple) and
Ben Petersen (double) also compiled a pair of extra base hits.
North Dakota State plated one run in the first, second and third innings to gain a 3-0 advantage.
JT Core worked a bases loaded walk in the first frame, before Hostetler hit an RBI triple to let center in the second and Petersen scored on a fielder's choice bunt by Elsenpeter in the third.
NDSU ballooned its lead to 6-0 in the fifth after Elsenpeter hit a line-drive three-run homer over the left field fence.
The Bison added two more runs in the eighth when Petersen and Busch hit back-to-back RBI doubles.
Catcher Adam McGinnis, infielder Johnathan Fleek and infielder Deion Thompson each tallied a hit to lead the Leathernecks offensively.
Western Illinois starter Preston Church (3-4) took the loss after giving up three earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in three innings.
The Bison and Leathernecks are scheduled to conclude the three-game series on Sunday, May 14, at 1 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field. Prior to the contest, NDSU's nine seniors will be honored.
