MINOT, N.D. – The University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (12-20, 9-13 NSIC) received a solid pitching outing from Zachary Miller and lots of offense in game two but dropped a doubleheader to Minot State (18-10, 13-9) on Thursday by scores of 5-4 in seventh innings and 16-10 in nine innings.  These two teams will play another NSIC doubleheader on Friday, starting at noon.

USF, which is on a five-game skid, accumulated 21 hits and 14 runs while batting .323 in the doubleheader. Noah Durkin was 4-of-8 with an RBI while Brent Jarvis and Rob Johnson each collected three hits. The Cougars had two home runs (Rob Johnson, Austin Richey) and five total extra base hits. Josh Rehwaldt had a pair of RBI in the two games as he raised his RBI total to 31.

G1 MiSU 5 USF 4 (7 innings)

Despite a strong pitching effort from Miller, the Cougars dropped game one to MiSU, which used two home runs for the difference in the win.

Miller (2-4) allowed just two hits among the 27 batters he faced but both were home runs. In six innings of work, he allowed two hits on five runs with six strikeouts and seven walks. Miller had another effective start as he now has gone at least 5 1/3 innings in each of his last five starts. In fact, he has gone the distance in three of the five games as he has gone 2-2 in that stretch of games.

Tanner Alexander (4-2) picked up the win for the Beavers as he allowed six hits and four runs (one earned) with five strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Durkin, Jarvis, Rehwaldt, Matthew Minnick, Trevor Crow and Johnson all had base hits to lead USF. Rehwaldt's knocked in 30th RBI of the season.

USF struck first as Minnick reached by error and after single by Crow, scored on a sacrifice fly by Anthony Lopez for a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the second, Jarrod Adams put Minot State in the lead with a two-run homer. In the third inning, the Beavers put three runs on the board when Michael Borst connected on a three-run home run – his fifth of the season – as MISU grabbed a 5-1 lead.

The Cougars made a late run at the Beavers in the sixth inning. Durkin and Jarvis started the inning with singles and both scored on Rehwaldt's RBI single and an error by MISU. Rehwaldt, who advanced to third on the play, scored on a ground out by Crow. Unfortunately, USF was unable to stir up any late game magic in the seventh inning as they fell in the opener.

G2 MiSU 15 USF 10 (9 innings)

While USF's bats came alive to the tune of nine runs and 12 hits, including a pair of home runs, the Cougars struggled on the mound and defense in falling to MiSU, 15-9 in the second half of the double header with the Beavers.

Freshman Keenan Coyle started but did not figure in the decision as he allowed five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four hitters. USF used three other pitchers with Mitchell Lyall (0-2) picking up the loss after replacing Coyle in the fourth inning. Lyall worked 1 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits. Chris Thompson worked one inning and allowed five hits and three earned runs. Freshman Jackson Olson finished up as he allowed one hit and an unearned run in 1 2/3 innings.

The Cougars offense was led by Durkin, who had three hits and an RBI. Jarvis, Johnson and Lopez head had two hits each. Johnson had a home run among his two hits and three RBI. Austin Richey also homered for USF.  Sean Alp led MiSU with four hits, four RBI and four runs scored. Michael Borst had his second home run of the day among his three hits while producing four RBI.

After MiSU scored a pair of runs in the first inning off starter Coyle, the Cougars answered when Johnson doubled and scored on a single by Lopez.  Down 5-2 in the fifth, USF took a 7-5 lead with a five-run binge as Minnick had an RBI and Richey hammered his first home run of the season and the fourth in his career.

However, the Beavers answered with a six-spot in the sixth inning, forcing USF into a pitching change as the lead grew to 13-7. After USF's Johnson hit a two-run homer – his second of the year and sixth of his career – to cut the deficit to 13-9 in the seventh, MiSU answered with two unearned runs as the Cougars committed a pair of errors.

In the eighth inning, USF loaded the bases with no outs as Lopez doubled, Jack Revier reached on a hit by pitch and Peterson singled.  Durkin's RBI single cut the lead to 15-10. However, USF was unable to take advantage of a bases loaded no out situation as MiSU enticed Jarvis to hit into a double play and Rehwaldt popped out to end the threat.   The Beavers closed out the scoring with a run in the eighth.