FARGO, N.D.--Jake Laber pitched eight-plus innings for the win and battery mate Gavin Hofer drove in four runs as North Dakota State defeated Minnesota 7-3 in college baseball Wednesday, May 3.

A school-record crowd of 1,019 was on hand at Newman Outdoor Field to see the Bison (7-32) defeat Minnesota (22-21) for the first time in 19 meetings dating back to 1906.

Laber, who was scheduled to throw around 50 pitches on three days of rest, threw 138 pitches and worked into the ninth inning when he walked the first two batters.

Eight different players in the NDSU lineup hit safely, but three timely hits helped the Bison climb back from a 2-0 deficit in the fourth inning.

Hofer singled in Jared Sullivan and Ryan Langlais to tie the game at 2 in the bottom of the fourth, and Hofer was the key bat again in the fifth when his two-out single to left field scored Sullivan and Luke Otto for a 4-2 lead.

Sullivan, the national leader in hit-by-pitches, got plunked for the 20th and 21st times of the season and scored three runs.

Sullivan's only hit in three official at-bats was a three-run home run off the scoreboard in left field with two outs in the eighth inning.  It was his fourth homer of the year and propelled the Bison to a 7-2 lead.

Minnesota scored on a groundout in the ninth for the final margin.

Hofer was the only Bison player with multiple hits.  He finished 2-for-4.

Minnesota leadoff hitter Luke MacLean was 2-for-5 and cleanup man Andy Hunter was 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the fourth.

Laber (2-8) struck out six and walked five.  He was responsible for all three Gopher runs on five hits.

Minnesota starter Kyle Carr, a native of Linton, N.D., struck out six in four innings for a no-decision.  Reliever Gary Perinar (2-2) took the loss despite five strikeouts in three innings of work.

North Dakota State is scheduled to open a four-game home series with South Dakota State on Friday night.  First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field.