TULSA, Okla. -- Second-seeded North Dakota State overcame a five-run, ninth-inning deficit to stave off elimination and oust top-seeded Omaha 7-5 Thursday in a #SummitBSB Championship loser's bracket game at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
The Bison offense did not have an answer for Omaha starter Harrison Kreiling, who pitched a gem for the Mavericks. The righthander allowed just two hits over eight scoreless innings and his 13 strikeouts were the second most in a tournament game in League history.
Fortunately for NDSU, the bats woke up in the ninth. The Bison sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring seven times on four hits, three walks and two hit batters as three Maverick hurlers could not prevent the comeback.
Carter Hake started the rally with a pinch-hit single and would draw a bases loaded walk later in the frame that squared the game at 5-5. Fellow pinchitter Kyle Law also came through with a two-run single early in the inning before Sam Canton delivered the game-winning RBI with a two-out, two-run single through the right side.
With a 7-5 lead now heading into the bottom of the ninth, Skyler Riedinger threw his second scoreless inning to earn the win in relief. He followed Bison closer Joey Danielson, who had entered the game in the third with his team trailing 5-0. Danielson held the Mavericks scoreless and scattered four hits over 4.1 innings, which was his longest outing of the season.
Kreiling's offense gave him that early cushion, striking for four runs in the bottom half of the first and adding one more in the third.
In that four-run first, Grant Sommers drew a bases loaded walk that was followed by a two-out, bases-clearing double from Haiden Hunt. Sommers' free pass came after a nine pitch at-bat that saw him foul off three consecutive pitches before seeing a fastball from NDSU starter Landon Koenig miss the zone high.
The Mavericks added to their advantage in the third on a RBI-single by Jack Trout. Danielson was brought into the game with two outs and runners on the corners and was able to keep the defifict at 5-0. He replaced Koenig, who had seen his pitch count rise to 72 through his 2.2 innings of work.
Kreiling had multiple strike outs through each of the first four innings and did not surrender a hit until a one-out single by Garret Hill in the top of the fifth. He saw the Bison load the bases off him in the bottom of the eighth but he picked up his career-high 13th punchout to end the threat.
Pitcher of Record
Win – Riedinger (2-1): 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
Loss – Dreher (0-2): 0.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
Notable Notes
• With 13 strikeouts, Kreiling now owns the second most in a Summit League Tournament game and strung together three consecutive starts with at least nine strikeouts to close out his senior season.
• This marks the first time in tournament history the top seed has finished the tournament 0-2.
• The Bison have come back late against Omaha before, scoring 10 runs in the top of the ninth to register a 12-11 win over the Mavericks in a game played in Auburndale, Fla., on March 15, 2010.
• Omaha had five players with multiple hits as they outhit the Bison 12-6.
• Danielson, who has double-digit saves on the season, threw a season-high 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Bison in the game.
Up Next
NDSU will play the loser of the winner's bracket game between No. 3 seed Oral Roberts and No. 4 seed Northern Colorado on Friday at 4 p.m. CT.
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