LAKE MILLS, Iowa — The Lake Mills Bulldogs baseball team locked up at least a share of a third-place finish in the North Iowa Conference Thursday with a 9-6 win over North Iowa.

The Bulldogs took a 5-0 lead into the third after starter Josh Zabel threw three no-hit innings.

In the bottom of the third with one out, Levi Dahle walked, and Royce Byrnes reach on an error. Zabel then hit an RBI single, scoring Dahle, and Byrnes scored as Drey LyBarger reached first on another error.

North Iowa intentionally walked Alex Grunhovd to load the bases, and Tyler Rice hit a two-run single to left field. Bryan Hengesteg then hit a sacrifice fly to score Grunhovd and take a 5-0 lead.

North Iowa responded with three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to pull within one before Grunhovd scored in the bottom of the fifth on a passed ball.

The Bulldogs tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth on RBI singles by Grunhovd and Hengesteg. Rice walked with the bases loaded the score the third run.

Dahle earned the win for the Bulldogs after relieving Zabel with two outs in the fifth inning.

“Zabel did a great job early on keeping us in the ball game,” Bulldogs coach Jason Blaser said. “He had trouble locating his pitches for whatever reason in the fourth inning and struggled. It’s too bad because Josh deserved to win tonight.”

The Bulldogs finished third in the NIC behind first-place Newman Catholic and Osage. They play again Saturday in the district opener against Central Springs in Manly, Iowa.