The North Dakota State University (NDSU) baseball team lost to Vanderbilt University in the first game of a three-game series, with a final score of 14-2. The game was held Friday night at Charles Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning with a home run by Brodie Johnston. The team extended its lead in the third inning, adding five more runs, including a solo home run from Max Jensen. NDSU responded in the fourth inning with RBI singles from Kyle Law and Diego Trujillo, bringing the score to 7-2. However, Vanderbilt quickly widened the gap again by scoring four more runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a three-run home run from Chris Maldonado.
Vanderbilt finished with a 14-2 victory under college baseball’s run-rule after seven innings.
For NDSU, Caleb Corbin led offensively by going 2-for-4. Both Law and Trujillo had one hit and one RBI each. Colten Becker scored a run and went 1-for-3 at bat. Dante Smith and Evan Gustafson also contributed hits.
Pitcher Parker Puetz made his fourth start for NDSU this season, recording six strikeouts over three innings. Garrett Shupe pitched the final three innings for the Bison.
The teams will play again on Saturday afternoon for game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Time.
