Sioux Falls (18-31, 12-24) left seven men on base and recorded more errors than hits, enabling Concordia University-St. Paul to get a Sunday sweep and spoil the Cougars' Senior Day this afternoon at Harmodon Park in Sioux Falls.
The Golden Bears (28-12, 20-10 NSIC) took game one 6-0 and posted a 12-0 mercy rule-shortened victory in USF's season finale.
The Cougars' senior class of Michael Vine, Ryan Fobes, Dylan Dwyer, Jeremy Varner, Austin Goodenow, Noah Coleman and Derek Fischer were all honored between games for their contributions to the program.
While the Cougars' bats hammered out nine hits in Saturday's 8-1 win versus Concordia, USF was held to just seven in Sunday's two games while the Cougars committed eight total errors in the field. Both of Concordia's starting pitchers tossed complete game shut-outs.
Concordia-St. Paul wasted no time taking a lead in the opener, loading the bases with no outs in the second and scoring one run with a fielder's choice RBI.
USF senior southpaw Noah Coleman and CU starter Kevin Woebke breezed through the next three innings before the Golden Bears extended their lead to 2-0 with an RBI single up the middle in the top half of the fifth.
Woebke (3-2) set the Cougars were sent down in order in the home half of the fifth and his teammates supplied him for four more runs in the top of the sixth.
The Cougars had three hits in the contest. Seniors Coleman, Varner and Vine each had a single. Coleman (1-6) tossed a complete game in defeat, allowing six runs (four earned) on 11 hits with no walks and a strikeout. Coleman finished his career as the school's career innings pitched leader with 246. 3 total innings and he ranks second all-time in strikeouts (191).
Game two got out of hand early for USF as a pair of errors helped the Golden Bears tag senior righty Derek Fischer for six runs on three hits in the second inning. Then came two more throwing miscues in the fourth, paving the way to four additional runs for Concordia.
Fischer was relieved in the seventh by Austin Goodenow, who allowed two runs on two hits to create the final margin.
USF was held to four hits and the 10 run mercy-rule went into effect after the Cougars failed to score at least three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Trevor Crow went 2-for-3 while Durkin and Varner accounted for the other two hits.
Fischer (5-5) took the loss in his last appearance on the mound for the Cougars. The Brandon Valley native ends his four-year career as the Cougars' career leader in strikeouts (198) and tied for Adam Heiden for the most-ever pitching wins in school history (19). Senior catcher Dylan Dwyer also leaves USF with the program record for most games caught in a career (149).
