North Dakota State scored five times in the top of the fifth inning and went on to defeat South Dakota State, 8-3, in the opening game of a three-game Summit League baseball series Friday afternoon at Erv Huether Field.
Â
The league-leading Bison improved to 24-13 overall and 14-4 in The Summit League. SDSU dropped to 16-18 overall and 7-6 in league play.
Â
The game was scoreless through four innings before NDSU sent 10 men to the plate in the decisive fifth inning. Charley Hesse drew a leadoff walk against Jackrabbit starter Nic McCay and later scored along with Calen Schwabe on a double to the left-center gap by Druw Sackett. Peter Brookshaw followed with an RBI double of his own and came in to score on a Logan Williams single. Later in the inning, Callyn Schwabe greeted reliever Alex Clemons with another run-scoring single to left center.
Â
Brookshaw plated another run in the sixth inning with a single and Williams closed out the Bison scoring with a two-run single in the eighth.
 Drew Beazley drove in all three Jackrabbit runs as he continued his recent hot streak. The junior first baseman extended his hitting streak to nine games with a sixth-inning double that scored Dawson Parry, then connected on his sixth home run of the season in the ninth inning. Beazley's two-run shot to left marked the 17th consecutive game in which SDSU has homered, setting a program record.
Â
NDSU starter Max Loven worked the first seven innings, striking out seven while allowing one run on five hits.
Â
McCay recorded six strikeouts and walked one in his 4 2/3 innings on the mound for the Jackrabbits. Dane Toman struck out two in retiring all four batters he faced and fellow freshman Jake Goble added a scoreless frame out of the bullpen.
Â
Brookshaw and Sackett each notched three of NDSU's 14 hits. Beazley and Nic Nelson led the Jacks each posted two of SDSU's seven hits.
 UP NEXT
The middle game of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.
 NOTES
SDSU leads the all-time series, 124-77
Beazley has homered in back-to-back games and four of the last six contests
In addition to his nine-game hit streak, Beazley has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games
Ryan McDonald was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, extending his streak of reaching base safely to 22 games
Parry also lengthened his hitting streak to nine games
Goble made his first appearance since March 26 at Oral Roberts
The previous team record of 16 consecutive games with a home run was set in 2009