SIOUX FALLS – With timely hitting and stellar bullpen work, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (8-18, 8-8 NSIC) ran its winning streak to four games with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference sweep of Minnesota Crookston (12-19, 2-14 NSIC) on a cold Saturday afternoon at the Birdcage. USF took 3-1 and 7-3 decisions to move to 8-8 in league play and 8-18 overall. The final two games of the series scheduled for Sunday have been canceled due to expected inclement weather.

The Cougars, which have won the four straight games at the Birdcage, now sit seventh in the NSIC. USF's bullpen included six pitchers who hurled 5 1/3 innings and allowed just four hits and no runs with four strikeouts.

Leading the offense was freshman shortstop Grant Lung with two hits in four at bats with three runs and three RBI and a stolen base. Freshman catcher Alex Elizondo and junior first baseman Josh Rehwaldt both hit .429 with three hits in seven at bats. Rehwaldt had a pair of doubles and two RBI.

USF has four straight wins for first time since April 2-7, 2017 when the Coo defeated Bemidji State, 13-6, 10-9; Dakota Wesleyan, 14-2; and Winona State, 3-2.
The four-game winning streak is the longest since recording eight straight victories from March 29 to April 4 with 5-3 and 18-7 verdicts over Bemidji State; 8-7 and 21-17 decisions over Minnesota Crookston and 4-2, 4-2, 8-3 and 9-2 conquests at U-Mary.

USF's last four-game winning streak in the NSIC was May 1-4, 2016 when the Cougars defeated Concordia St. Paul, 6-5; 1-0; and Augustana, 5-4, and 8-7, all in walk-off variety.

G1 – Sioux Falls 3 Minnesota Crookston 1
Senior Dylan Gavin (3-3) combined with senior Stuart Maes on a five-hitter as the Cougars captured game one, 3-1. Gavin, who helped his own cause with an RBI single in the first inning, allowed just five hits and a run with two strikeouts in six innings of work as he won his second straight decision with his fifth performance of six innings or more this season. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts and just one run or less in four starts.

Maes replaced Gavin in the seventh inning and worked one inning of scoreless relief as he picked up his first save of the season and the second of his career.

The Cougars were led by Lung, who had two hits with two RBI and a run scored while Elizondo had two hits for the first time in his career.

With two out in top of the 1st inning, Gavin hit a run-scoring double to plate Lung, who doubled to open the inning. In the second inning, Lung produced an RBI single to score freshman third baseman Ryan Meyer who reached by walk for a 2-0 lead.

With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning, Gavin enticed a UMC hitter into inning-ending double play as the Cougars maintained a 2-1 lead. In the top of the seventh, USF added a run as Elizondo was hit by a pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lung. Then, after UMC put two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning, Maes entered the game and shut the door for the save.

G2 – Sioux Falls 7 Minnesota Crookston 3
The Cougars built a 4-0 lead in the third inning and padded the advantage as a solid start by Brandon Roesler was supplemented by a shutdown effort from the bullpen in a 7-3 victory.

Roesler threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and three runs with two strikeouts before five relievers quieted the UMC bats. Keenahn Coyle (1-1) picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Jackson Olson, Anthony Reese and Spencer Dokken also threw one inning each and did not allow any runs and just two total hits.

Rehwaldt led the offense with three hits in five at bats with two RBI and a run scored. Matthew Minnick added two hits and an RBI.

After two scoreless innings, Rehwaldt delivered a one-out two-run double as USF broke the tie and took a 2-0 lead. The Cougars added two more runs for a 4-0 lead over UMC through in the third inning. Those runs were produced by Gavin's RBI ground out and Minnick's run-scoring single.

An error by UMC on Minnick's hard hit ground ball brought home Lung as USF built a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning.  UMC answered with a pair of runs to cut the lead to 5-3. In the fifth USF made a pair of pitching changes, including replacing Roesler. After Christian Lazar had a couple of bloop hits fall, Coyle entered the game and ended the threat by enticing a ground out.  

USF added two more runs in the eighth inning as Lung's sacrifice fly plated senior second baseman Anthony Lopez, who opened the inning with a single, and Elizondo scored on a wild pitch for a 7-3 lead.

Lung hit a sacrifice fly to score Anthony Lopez, who opened the inning with a single, for a 6-3 lead in the top of the eighth inning. Elizondo scored on a wild pitch as USF took a 7-3 lead. In the ninth inning, Dokken closed the game with one inning of scoreless relief as he retired the side in five pitches.

Next for USF will be a Wednesday NSIC doubleheader at the Birdcage with Minnesota State-Mankato at 1:30/4:00 p.m.