OMAHA, Neb. - For the second time in school history, the North Dakota State baseball team has won the Summit League Tournament title, advancing to an NCAA Regional. After dropping the first game 15-5, the Bison bounced back to beat Oral Roberts 11-6 in the second championship game.
The Bison set a school record with their 41st win, improving to 41-17 on the season. Oral Roberts, the top-seed and regular season champion, finished the year 31-23. NDSU will learn its postseason destination on Monday at 11 a.m. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Senior
Jake Malec was named the Summit League Championship MVP. Malec,
Bennett Hostetler,
Nick Emanuel,
Max Loven,
Cade Feeney and
Parker Harm were named to the Summit League Championship All-Tournament Team.
In the opener, Malec led the Bison with two hits, while
Charley Hesse and Emanuel both drove in two runs.
Evan Sankey suffered the loss on the mound in six innings of work, as he dropped to 7-2 on the year. NDSU scored three runs in the first inning, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless until the fourth. Oral Roberts scored two in the fourth and two in the sixth to take the lead. The Golden Eagles added seven in the seventh and four in the ninth.
Malec led the Bison with three hits in the final, while
Tucker Rohde and Hesse each had a pair. Hesse scored three times, while Rohde and
Zach Solano each scored twice. Malec drove in three runs, while Rohde and Hesse each plated a pair.
Tristen Roehrich earned the win on the mound, striking out four in five innings of work.
Jake Drew struck out one in an inning. Harm shut the door in the final three innings, earning his 11th save of the season. Harm allowed just a hit, while striking out three.
The Bison struck first on a two-run double by Rohde and never trailed in the game. Malec extended the lead in the second with a single that drove in
Jack Simonsen. Oral Roberts cut into the lead in the second, but the Bison answered with an RBI single by Emanuel that plated Hesse. After home runs in the third and fourth innings by the Golden Eagles, Rohde scored on a bases loaded error that allowed Simonsen to reach. Malec then singled to second, bringing in Solano and Hesse. In the sixth, Hesse crushed one to center field that plated Rohde on his second home run of the season. Schwabe singled to left to bring in Solano to finish the inning with the Bison leading 10-3. After three runs by the Golden Eagles in the sixth, Hostetler finished the scoring with an RBI single that plated Malec in the seventh.