PEORIA, Ill. ? North Dakota (6-12) rode a six-run fourth inning and the first complete game of the season by pitcher Derek Biermaier (3-2) to a 7-4 victory in the first game of a four-game, non-conference baseball series at Bradley (6-15) Friday afternoon at O'Brien Field.

Biermaier scattered seven Bradley hits in his nine innings of work, allowing four runs, three earned, with three walks and four strikeouts.  Bradley starter Brad Altbach (1-4) was roughed up for seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.  Freshman Justin Ziegler gave the Braves a chance to rally, though, by keeping the Fighting Sioux off the board for the final 5 1/3 innings, by scattering five hits and striking out three.

North Dakota first baseman Jake Magner came into the game batting .364 with a team-leading 23 runs batted in and he padded those numbers by going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI's.  Bradley first baseman Adam Kimble led the Braves offense with two hits, while shortstop Tommy Fitzgerald drove home two of the home team's four runs.

North Dakota jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, compliments of a two-base error and a bloop double down the left field line.  Altbach started the game by throwing six straight strikes, the last of which turned into a slow roller in front of home plate off the bat of catcher Andy Sadler.  Bradley catcher Brett Hendricks threw wildly to first, however, allowing Sadler to stroll into second base with one out.  After Jake Magner grounded out to second, Andrew Marek flared an Altbach offering down the left field line to drive home the game's first run.

The Braves put runners on in each of the first two innings on hit-by-pitches, but Fitzgerald was picked off in the first and Hendricks hit into a double play in the second, allowing Biermaier to face the minimum six hitters through the first two frames.

Designated hitter Kevin Sullivan drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the third inning and second baseman Matt Fritz put him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.  Fitzgerald followed with a single through the right side of the infield to pull the Braves even, 1-1.

Andrew Gudmunson started a five-run fourth-inning rally for North Dakota with a one-out double off the base of the wall in right field.  Josh Nelson advanced the runner with a deep flyout to right and Daniel Ross put the Fighting Sioux back in front with a soft single to right.  Bakhit kept the inning going with a single through the left side of the infield to put runners at first and second with two outs and Josh Lagein followed with an RBI single for a 3-1 lead.  Sadler then drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, before Jake Magner, Marek Aaron Cook followed with three straight seeing-eye singles to stretch the UND advantage to 7-1 and chase Altbach.  Ziegler relieved Altbach with runners at the corners and two outs and ended the rally by getting Gudunson to ground into a fielder's choice.

The Braves got one run back in the sixth inning, thanks to Kimble RBI single, then put one more on the board in the seventh after Sullivan (single) and Fritz (double) reached on consecutive one-out hits.  Fitzgerald plated Sullivan with a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 7-3, but the rally was short-circuited on a sliding catch by Marek in left field on a sinking line drive by Grant Escue.

Bradley kept chipping away with one more run in the eighth as pinch-hitter Colby Luttrell followed Kimble's one-out double with an RBI single to right, but the rally again was cut short when Hendricks lined into a double play.

The teams will resume their four-game weekend series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at O'Brien Field and the series is scheduled to conclude with a single game Sunday afternoon at one o'clock.