SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – With a road trip at league-leading Oral Roberts looming last weekend, North Dakota State delivered two big wins in Tulsa and made the race for a postseason bid a lot more manageable with three series remaining for the defending tournament champions.
Those two losses were more than ORU had endured during its 14-1 start to Summit play but the Golden Eagles still have a comfortable lead on the rest of the pack. It’s those five programs that continue to jockey for position down the stretch.
The Bison host a South Dakota State team that holds the final spot in the tournament field heading into the weekend, while St. Thomas, who won its first series of the season last weekend in Omaha, plays host to ORU as the Tommies look to qualify for a tournament they will be hosting May 20-23 at the University of Minnesota.
The second and third-place teams in the current standings are slated for a three-game slate in Greeley as Northern Colorado and Omaha square off. Those two are even in the win-column with nine wins a piece against Summit foes, while the Mavericks are hoving just above the .500 mark at 9-8 (.529).
All three Summit League series will be streamed on the Summit League Network.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• North Dakota State split a four-game set at Oral Roberts that had an extra game after the first series between the teams was cancelled. The opener served as a make-up game that the Bison won 3-2.
• In fact, the Bison dealt the league leaders more losses in the series than the Golden Eagles endured during a 14-1 start to their Summit slate.
• In the game one victory, Diego Trujillo broke a 2-2 tie with his second home run of the season in the fourth inning, which would be the final tally of the game for either side. Ryan Sheamus tossed four scoreless innings of relief to earn his second save of the season for the Bison. He lowered his ERA to 0.47 in Summit play having allowed just one earned run over 19 innings of work.
• ORU outfielder Makani Tananka finished the series with 10 RBI to earn his second Kwik Star weekly honor of the season. In ORU’s 14-3 victory in game two, Tanaka mashed a pair of home runs and added a sacrifice fly to drive home six in the contest.
• NDSU earned the four-game split behind a strong start from Jonah Walker, who earned his first Kwik Star weekly pitching honor. The senior transfer tossed five innings of one-run baseball and Tyman Long homered and drove in five in the 11-3 victory that improved NDSU’s record to 5-10 in league play.
• NDSU’s two wins tightened up the bottom of the standings as teams take aim at the four postseason spots. The Bison remain in sixth but are now 5-10 and with a .333 winning percentage are within striking distance of a South Dakota State team they have a three-game series against at home this weekend.
• The Jackrabbits currently hold the coveted fourth spot at 7-10 (.412) after splitting two games with Northern Colorado last weekend. The Bears will host Omaha in a series with second-place in the standings on the line.
• The Jacks won game one 7-6 when Nate Wachter drew a bases loaded walk in the 11th after the Bears had gone ahead 6-4 with two runs in the top half of the frame. Pinchitter Grant Sorensen squared the game at 6-6 with a two-run double in his first at-bat of the game.
• The Bears bounced back with a 19-2 mercy rule victory in game two. Brandon Sanchez, who had homered in game one, went 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI as UNC improved to 9-10 (.474) on the season, holding onto third place in the standings.
• St. Thomas took its first Summit League series of the season, earning two wins at Omaha. With winning percentage in league games being the deciding factor for tournament bids, those two wins by St. Thomas (6-11; .353) kept them in fifth place but moved them within a game of the Jackrabbits in the standings.
• League-leading Oral Roberts visits St. Thomas this weekend.
• After dropping game one 9-1 to the Mavericks, the Tommies’ bats put up 11 runs in game two and 18 more in game three, which included nine in the top of the ninth inning to erase an 11-9 deficit. The offense pounded out 23 hits in that contest led by shortstop Adam Puder and leftfielder Nolan Welke, who had four hits a piece from the sevena and nine-holes in the order.
• Easton Fritcher provied the only home run for the Tommies but it was a clutch one as his three-run shot in the ninth put St. Thomas ahead 13-11.
• Omaha’s Tanner Foertsch won the opener, tossing six scoreless innings for the Mavericks. He surrendered four hits and struck out three Tommies to earn his second win of the season.
• Jackson Trout homered three times against the Tommies to equal ORU’s Tanaka with a league-high five in Summit action. Tanaka doubled his RBI total to grab the overall lead in that category with 20 in conference play, while Trout sits in fourth with 18 after adding five last weekend.
• Puder and Welker also had two hits each in the game two
• SDSU combined seven inning no-hitter in non-conference action as the Jacks took down Buena Vista 11-1 Tuesday. Drew McDowell tossed the first six innings, striking out seven and allowing an earned run int he opening frame on a pair of walks and RBI groundout.
• ORU knocked off in-state foe Oklahoma State for the second time this season as Cooper Combs and Cooper Kelly both homered early in the 11-6 victory. Brenden Asher earned his first career win, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out three for the Golden Eagles.
UPCOMING
Game | Stream/TV | Local Time
Friday, May 1
Omaha at Northern Colorado | SLN | 2 p.m. MT
Oral Roberts at St. Thomas | SLN | 3 p.m. CT
SDSU at NDSU | 6 p.m. | SLN | 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 2
Omaha at Northern Colorado | SLN | 12 p.m. MT
Oral Roberts at St. Thomas | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
SDSU at NDSU | 6 p.m. | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 3
Omaha at Northern Colorado | SLN | 12 p.m. MT
Oral Roberts at St. Thomas | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
SDSU at NDSU | 6 p.m. | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Tuesday, May 5
Cincinnati at Oral Roberts | SLN | 6 p.m. CT
St. Thomas at Iowa | B1G+ | 6 p.m. CT
Wednesday, May 6
Omaha at K-State | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. CT
NDSU vs. Fargo-Moorhead | SLN | 6 p.m. CT
Key: B1G+ (Big Ten Plus); ESPN+ (ESPN Plus); MWN (Mountain West Network); SEC+ (SEC Network Plus); SLN (Summit League Network).
RECENT RESULTS
Friday, April 24
NDSU, 3, Oral Roberts 2
Oral Roberts 14, NDSU 3 (7)
SDSU 7, Northern Colorado 6 (11)
Omaha 9, St. Thomas 1
Saturday, April 25
Oral Roberts 3, NDSU 2
Northern Colorado 19, SDSU 2 (7)
St. Thomas 11, Omaha 5
Sunday, April 26
NDSU 11, Oral Roberts 3
St. Thomas 18, Omaha 12
Northern Colorado at SDSU (cancelled)
Tuesday, April 28
NDSU 13, Creighton 6
SDSU 11, Buena Vista 1 (7)
Northern Colorado 5, Air Force 4
Minnesota 12, St. Thomas 1
Oral Roberts 11, Oklahoma State 6
Wednesday, April 29
SDSU 19, Minnesota Morris 1 (7)
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