Omaha Baseball completed a three-game sweep of defending Summit League champion North Dakota State on March 14 at Tal Anderson Field, with strong pitching performances leading the Mavericks to victory.
The sweep is significant as it marks Omaha’s first Summit League series of the season, improving their record to 7-10 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The team allowed only four runs over 27 innings during the weekend.
Head coach Evan Porter said, “The nonconference schedule that we played, we had a lot of moments like we had this weekend where the game could have gone either way, and we executed today. We had plays and pitches, and then we came up with some big hits.” Outfielder Hayden Lewis delivered key tie-breaking hits in both games Saturday, including a three-run double in the sixth inning of the opener and a two-run single in the seventh inning of the nightcap. “Those were two huge moments,” Porter said. “Hayden did a great job of slowing the game down and not letting the moment be too big.”
In Saturday’s first game, North Dakota State led early before Chase Diggins drove in a run for Omaha. Tyler Bishop tied it with a single before Lewis’s double gave Omaha control. Four relievers combined for five shutout innings, with Cameron Teinert earning the win.
The second game remained scoreless until Lewis’s late single brought home two runs. Tanner Foertsch pitched seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Porter said of Foertsch, “He just pounded the zone. Tanner was a great guy to have in game three.” Tanner Hosick and Drew Iverson closed out the win from the bullpen. “Our bullpen came in and had some big moments this weekend with inherited runners,” Porter said.
Looking ahead, Omaha will seek to build on its momentum as Summit League play continues.
