DENVER, COLO – In the season opener, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team received a solid pitching effort from senior Dylan Gavin but dropped a 5-2 nonconference decision to Metro State (2-4) in Denver on Friday.

The Cougars, who will face Metro State in a 1 p.m. (CST) game on Saturday, had seven hits, including two from third baseman Jack Revier. Senior Rob Johnson and junior Josh Rehwaldt both had a base hit and RBIs while senior Matthew Minnick also singled. Freshman shortstop Grant Lung contributed a triple and two runs scored in his debut with the Cougars.

As for Gavin, he allowed three earned runs (four total runs) on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Junior Spencer Dokken finished up with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, one-run baseball. He added two strikeouts in seven hitters in his debut on the mound with USF.

Javi Vega of MSU picked up his second win of the season as he hurled seven innings, allowing seven hits and one run with two strikeouts. Trent Maloney picked up his first save as he worked a scoreless ninth inning.

Game Breakdown
USF put together a threat in the first inning when Johnson and Minnick both singled and stole bases to get into scoring position but did not score.

In the bottom of the frame, Sean Kennedy put MSU on board with home run. In the third inning, Johnson recorded his first RBI of the season, scoring Lung, who had tripled in his first at bat at USF, and tied the game at 1-1. 

 In the third inning, MSU took the lead on an unearned run after they loaded the bases following a USF error.  After the Roadrunners built a 4-1 lead with a pair of runs in the home half of the seventh inning, the Cougars used an error and walk plus a sacrifice fly from Josh Rehwaldt to cut the deficit to 4-2 in in the top of the eighth inning.  However MSU answered with a run in the eighth inning to take a 5-2 advantage.