Seattle University could not put together a sustained offensive threat throughout the game as North Dakota scored early and often to defeat the Redhawks, 9-2, Sunday afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference collegiate baseball contest at Bannerwood Park.
Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) put the Redhawks on the board with a solo home run to lead off the second inning. North Dakota answered with four runs in the third inning, earning five singles along the way, including a two-run single up the middle by Jeff Campbell.
With one out in the third inning, Dalton Hurd (Bend, Ore.) hit his first collegiate home run, a solo shot over the wall in left field, to bring the Redhawks within two. That would be as close as the home team would get, as North Dakota started extending its lead with a run in the fourth inning and two more runs in the sixth inning.
North Dakota (14-18, 8-7 WAC) received a complete game performance from starter Alex Twenge, who allowed eight hits, one walk, and two runs while striking out three batters. He needed just 105 pitches, throwing 75 of them for strikes, plus he was helped by two inning-ending double plays in the eighth and ninth innings.
North Dakota added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings as it pounded out 13 hits, 12 of them singles. Ryan Reese went 3-for-4, while Tyler Follis went 2-for-4 with three RBI, Luis Calvo hit 2-for-4 with three runs scored, and Daniel Lockhert added a 2-for-5 performance.
Tarik Skubal (Kingman, Ariz.) took the loss for the Redhawks, giving up six hits and four runs in three innings while striking out three batters. Ryan Freitas (Concord, Calif.) made his second appearance of the season and induced an inning-ending double play in the ninth inning.
“They were a lot more aggressive than we were today, especially in the four-run inning when they hit balls all over the park,” Seattle U head coach Donny Harrel said. “We have to tighten up our areas this week, plus we have to improve offensively to give our pitchers a bit of a break.”
Despite the loss, Seattle U maintains a half-game lead in the WAC standings thanks to a loss by Grand Canyon. The Redhawks lost a conference weekend series for the first time this season and had not lost two games in a row since a four-game losing streak March 7-12.
Seattle University (21-18, 12-3 WAC) concludes a 13-game stretch of games within the Puget Sound area Tuesday, April 21, against the Washington Huskies starting at 5 p.m. at Bannerwood Park. The Redhawks will then embark on their toughest string of games in the regular season, with conference series at Bakersfield April 24-26 and at Grand Canyon May 1-3.