TULSA, Okla. – Both games came down to the wire Friday, as the North Dakota State and Oral Roberts baseball teams split a doubleheader at J.L. Johnson Stadium. The Bison won the first game 6-3 in 12 innings before the Golden Eagles won the nightcap 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh.
The Bison moved to 15-5 overall and 4-2 in Summit League play, while the Golden Eagles improved to 8-13 overall and 1-1 in league play. The two teams will play again on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
Jake Malec led the Bison with two hits in the first game, while Malec and Zach Solano each drove in two runs. Peter Brookshaw scored a pair of runs. Cade Feeney had a no-decision in the start, allowing a run on four hits in seven innings. Feeney struck out four and walked one in the longest outing of his career. In 3.2 innings, Parker Harm earned the win as he improved to 1-1. Harm struck out four and allowed three hits. Wyatt Nelson picked up his third save of the year in the final inning.
After Oral Roberts went up 1-0 in the first, NDSU scored three runs in the fifth highlighted by a two-run home run by Malec. The Golden Eagles tied the game in the eighth inning on a fielder's choice. In the 12th inning, Will Busch singled to right to bring in Brookshaw before Solano doubled to bring in Busch and Tucker Rohde.
Bennett Hostetler, Charley Hesse, Hunter Koep, Solano and Nick Emanuel each had a hit in the nightcap. Hostetler extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a hit in each game. Evan Sankey had a no-decision in the start, allowing three runs in 4.1 innings. Sankey allowed six hits and three walks, while striking out four. Skyler Riedinger suffered the loss, as he dropped to 0-2 in 1.1 innings. Riedinger walked four, while allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits, while striking out two. Zach Smith walked two batters.
Oral Roberts took a 1-0 lead in the first inning in the nightcap, while NDSU scored a pair in the second on a single by Solano and a sacrifice fly by Calen Schwabe. The Bison extended the lead to 3-1 on a home run by Hostetler in the third inning. An RBI single in the fourth and a double down the left field line in the fifth tied the game for Oral Roberts. NDSU took the lead in the seventh, as Rohde reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Schwabe to score. The Golden Eagles tied the game on a one-out single up the middle before winning on a bases-loaded walk.
