SAN MARCOS, Texas – Both teams combined for 35 hits and 14 home runs before Texas State used a two-run home run in the ninth to pick up the 19-18 walk-off win over the North Dakota State baseball team on a windy afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark.
After trailing 13-5 entering the fifth inning, the Bison (1-13) erupted for five runs on six hits to pull back within three, 13-10.
Terrell Huggins opened the frame with his second home run of the game into left field before
Peter Brookshaw followed it in the next at-bat with his second home run of the contest.
James Dunlap,
Garret Hill and
Zach Kluvers each tallied an RBI to end the big frame for the Bison.
Following a scoreless sixth frame,
Druw Sackett dropped a two RBI single into center field to pull the Bison back within one, 13-12, in the seventh. The Bobcats (9-5) answered back in the bottom half with back-to-back RBI doubles to push their lead back up to three, 15-12.
Jack Steil gave the Bison a boost in the eighth inning with his first career home run to right center to cut the deficit back down to two, 15-13. The Bobcats once again responded in the bottom half with two more home runs to push the edge up to 17-13.
After Sackett notched an RBI to begin the ninth inning,
Kyle Law came up with a clutch grand slam for his first career home run to steal the lead, 18-17. However, August Ramirez hit a walk-off home run in bottom half to win the contest, 19-18.
The Bison connected on a season-high 20 hits with six different players contributing at least two. NDSU also tallied a season-high seven home runs with Huggins and Brookshaw each registering two and tied the program record for home runs in a single-game. The Bison also hit seven home runs against Stony Brook on March 19, 1998.
Max Loven made the start on the mound and tossed one strikeout over 1.2 innings. The Bison used five pitchers out of the bullpen with
Wyatt Nelson contributing two strikeouts over 2.1 innings and
Parker Puetz tossing two strikeouts over 2.0 innings.
Skyler Riedinger (0-2) finished the final inning on the hill in the loss.
NDSU will conclude its series at Texas State tomorrow. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
