FARGO, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Jake Malec’s one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the North Dakota State Bison to a 5-3 win over Valley City State Tuesday night at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo. It was the 75th meeting between the two schools and the first since 2017.
Jack Simonson led off the eleventh with a single. Calen Schwabe tried to bunt him over, but his bunt was too hard and pitcher Matthew Suda was able to field the ball and throw Simonson out at second. But the relay was not in time to get Schwabe. Then Schwabe moved to second base when Suda tried to pick him off, but his high throw went off the glove of first baseman Jorun Hamre and into foul territory to advance Schwabe. Then Malec skied a uda pitch high into the night twilight sky, right fielder Dustin Mertz could not pck up the ball right away, but it wouldn’t have matter. Malec shot clear the right field fence for the game winning home run. t was Malec’s seventh of the season.
The Vikings tied the game in the top of the ninth inning when Gedeon Ellis singled in Zach Veneman with two out. Veneman was hit by a pitch, then stole second. Pinch hitter Chase Feller struck out for the second out of the inning. The Ellis hit a grounder up the middle and into center field to score Veneman with the tying run.
Suda gave up a hit to Malec and intentionally walked Bennett Hostetler with two out in the ninth. But the threat ended when Tucker Rohde’s high chopper was fielded by Suda who ran three quarters of the way to first before an underhand flip to Hamre for the third out.
Bison closer Wyatt Nelson gave up a one-out hit to David Demeter in the tenth but got the next two batters to end the inning. He would set the Vikings down in order in the eleventh to set up Malec’s heroics in the bottom of the inning.
The Vikings got on the board first when Ellis doubled to start the game. He would come around to score when JT Reed’s hard grounder went through the legs of first basebman Charley Hesse an into right field. The Vikings would load the bases on a walk and a hit batter, but Bison starter Hunter Koep struck out Drew Nixon to end that threat.
North Dakota State would take the lead in the bottom of the first. Malec lead off with a double. Peter Brookshaw walked. Hostetler would hit a fly ball to left that was miss player by Veneman which allowed Malec to score the tying run. After a passed ball to move runners to second and third, Tucker Rohde scored Brookshaw with a sacrifice fly.
The Bison would add a run in the fourth on Jack Simonson’s two out solo homer to left. His fifth of the season.
But VCSU would come back in the sixth and get to within one when JT Reed lead off with a single, stole second, then came in on Demeter’s single to center.
Ellis was 2 for 5 to lead the Vikings. He scored one and drove in one. Demeter was also 2 for 5 with an rbi.
Suda took the loss for VCSU going 2 1/3 innings giving up three hits with a walk three strike outs. The two runs that came in on Malec’s homer were the only two runs he allowed. The Viking bullpen did a great job pitching 6 1/3 shut out innings before Malecs blast ended the game.
The Vikings are 17-24 on the season and will wrap up the NSAA schedule with a four game series at with Presentation College at Charlie Brown Field. The doubleheader on Saturday begins at 1pm with Sunday’s twin bill starting at 12pm