GREELEY, Colo. - A two-run home run gave Northern Colorado the lead for good in the third inning, as the Bears beat the North Dakota State baseball team 4-2 Friday afternoon in the series opener.
NDSU dropped to 6-8 overall, while Northern Colorado snapped an eight-game losing streak to improve to 3-9 overall. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. (central) at Jackson Field.
Jake Malec had a pair of hits to lead the Bison, while also scoring both NDSU runs.
Brock Anderson drove in a run.
Max Loven suffered his first loss of the season, as he allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks. Loven struck out four in five innings.
Zach Smith tossed the final three innings, striking out four without allowing a hit.
The Bears struck first on a ground ball in the first inning. NDSU tied the game in the third, as Malec scored on a ground ball by Anderson. In the third inning, Jake Gitter hit a two-run home run to give Northern Colorado the lead. The Bears added another home run from Hayden Heinze in the fifth inning. The Bison scored on a double steal in the seventh inning. NDSU left nine runners on base in the game.