WINTER HAVEN, FLA. – The University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (0-10) lost a pair of one-run decisions on Saturday on the spring break road trip. USF fell to U-Mary, 5-4, in the opener and dropped an 8-7 decision in the second game to Minnesota Duluth.

USF played the two NSIC foes in nonconference games. USF had some strong offensive efforts which included Josh Rehwaldt collecting four hits in eight at bats with an RBI, two runs scored and a triple. With his performance, Rehwaldt is now hitting .378 with a team-high nine RBI. Sam Michels had two hits and three runs scored as he hit .400 on the day. Sophomore shortstop Grant Lung hit .375 with three hits in eight RBI and added three RBI. Lung improved to .270 on the season with his performance. On the day, USF collected 17 hits and scored 11 runs while giving up 19 hits and 13 runs. On the mound, sophomore Keenahn Coyle appearance in both games and finished 0-1 with a 4.26 EARA with five hits and three runs allowed in 6 1/23 innings.

USF will be off until Monday when they face Notre Dame College (Ohio) with a doubleheader starting at 3:45 CST.

Game 1 - U-Mary 5 USF 4
Despite two hits from Rehwaldt and Kyle Gulbrandson, USF dropped a 5-4 heart-breaker to U-Mary.

USF Freshman right-hander Jacob Emerson started and worked four innings in which he allowed seven hits and four runs, although two were earned. He had four strikeouts in facing 20 batters. Spencer Dokken (0-1) suffered the loss as U-Mary put the game-winning run across against him in the fifth inning. Dokken allowed two hits and a run with a strikeout. USF had solid relief outing from freshman right-hander Sean Nussbaum, who worked three innings and allowed just one hit with two strikeouts. Coyle worked the ninth inning and had a strikeout in one inning of work.

The Cougars took an early 2-0 lead after Gulbrandson had a run-scoring double to plate Rehwaldt and Ryan Bernardy in the first inning. However U-Mary answered with two runs in second and single runs in third and fourth for a 4-2 lead. Cougars pulled into tie with U-Mary after Lung's fly ball turned into an error and scored Gulbrandson. Brennan Gabriel hit an infield single which plated another run as Cougars tied the game at 4-4.  In the fifth inning, Jesus Payan led off with a double and scored on a two-out run-scoring double by Darius Barlas. It was a run that proved to be the game winner as the pitching dominated on both sides over the final four innings.

UMD 8 Sioux Falls 7
USF rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take a 7-5 lead but UMD had the answer with a three-run ninth inning as they moved to 1-1 on the season. USF, which dropped to 0-10, lost for the fourth time by two runs or fewer.

USF was led on offense by Lung and Rehwaldt, who each had two hits. Lung also had two RBI while Rehwaldt had one. Ryan Bernardy, Sam Michael, Ryan Meyer and Ryan Bernardy also had hits.

Sophomore Jackson Olson started for USF and allowed four earned runs with three hits and six walks while striking out two hitters. Coyle (0-2) took the loss after working 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while strikeout out four hitters. Also working for USF was Christian Lazar (2/3 inning, one hit, two strikeouts), Spencer Dokken (1/3 inning, strikeout, walk) and Sean Nussbaum (walk).

Zach Matthews of UMD earned the victory to move to 1-0. Rece Dietrich started and allowed one hit with five strikeouts in five innings.

In the bottom of the second inning, UMD took a lead as the Bulldogs exercised a no-out squeeze and then added a run on an error by the Cougars. In the third inning, UMD added three more with a sacrifice fly by Cory Krolikowski, run-scoring single by Henry George and a bases-loaded walk from Drew Stewart.

USF began its rally in the seventh inning as Gulbrandson, Brennan Gabriel and Michels walked to open the inning. With one out, freshman outfielder Connor King hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-1. With two out, Grant Lung stroked a two-run triple with Josh Rehwaldt adding a run-scoring triple while Bernardy had a run-scoring double to help USF tie UMD, 5-5

In the eighth inning, USF had two runs on two hits and an error to take the lead. After Gabriel reached on an error and Michels doubled, sophomore Ryan Meyer had a two-run single to give USF a 7-5 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, UMD had three runs on two hits with Ben Danielsen drew a two-out bases loaded walk to rally for the win.