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OMAHA, Neb. – Blake Stockert tied his career-high with nine strikeouts and Jayse McLean hit his team-best fifth home run of the season to lift the North Dakota State University baseball team to a 3-1 victory over the Western Illinois University Leathernecks Saturday, April 21, at Seymour Smith Park.

North Dakota State (14-17, 7-8 Summit League) and Western Illinois (8-22, 6-7 Summit League) are slated to play the final game of the three-game series Sunday, April 22, at 1 p.m.

Stockert, who improved to 4-1 on the season with the win on the mound, allowed no earned runs on five hits and tallied only one walk to go along with his nine Ks in 6 2/3 innings.

Reliever Kevin Folman secured his team-best fifth save of 2018 after throwing 2 1/3 innings and allowing one earned run on one hit with three strikeouts.

NDSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after Drew Fearing worked a one-out walk and McLean blasted a homer over the right field fence.

The Bison extended their advantage to 3-0 with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Tucker Rohde plated McLean on a two-out RBI single through the right side.

WIU was able to cut the lead to 3-1 with a run in the ninth, but Folman slammed the door shut with a strikeout to end the threat.

Mitch Ellis had two hits, including a solo homer, to lead Western Illinois at the plate.

Leatherneck starter Javin Drake (1-4) suffered the loss after giving up three earned runs on three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in seven innings.