WINONA, Minn. – Despite two hits by
Ryan Meyer and
Brennan Gabriel as well as a strong start from
Alex Loosbrock, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (11-34, 9-22 NSIC) dropped a 6-4 decision in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Baseball to Winona State (21-19-13-14 NSIC) on Sunday to wrap up the three-game series.
With the setback, USF wrapped up its regular season road schedule and now return to the Birdcage for a five-game homestand. In their final regular season home games, USF will host Minnesota State on Wednesday, May 1 and Concordia St. Paul on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4 at the Birdcage. The final game on May 4 will be Senior Day for USF.
USF dropped two of the three games in the series but battled the Warriors tough throughout. For the second straight day, USF took a lead into the late innings before WSU rallied. The Cougars led, 4-0, before the Warriors scored three runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to secure the win.
Loosbrock did not figure in the decision as he threw 6 1/3 innings and had six strikeouts with three walks while allowing six hits and three runs. It was Loosbrock's seventh start including his fourth when he has worked at least six innings. He now has 50 strikeouts to just 24 walks as he lowered his earned run average to 5.06. Relief pitcher
Mitchell Lyall (2-1) took the loss as allowing three runs on no hits with two walks and a hit batsman.
Christian Lazar finished up for USF with 1/3 inning of work.
Meyer had two hits, including a double, and also drove in a run. For Meyer, it was his third multi-hit game of the season. Gabriel added a pair of hits while
Trey Hubers had a hit, run scored and two RBI.
WSU relief pitcher Nicolas Herold (1-1) picked up the win after throwing 3 2/3 innings of shutout, no-hit relief. He struck out six USF batters.
After
Josh Rehwaldt and
Ryan Bernardy hit singles and
Sam Michels reached by error by WSU,
Trey Hubers had a two-run single as USF took a 2-0 lead. On the hit by Hubers, both Rehwaldt and Bernardy scored.
Kyle Gulbrandson pulled off a successful squeeze bunt and his RBI on play brought home Michels with unearned run after another error by Warriors as USF led, 3-0. Then, Meyer hit a sacrifice fly as USF scored for the fourth time in the sixth inning and took a 4-0 lead.
Mitchell Seager hit an RBI double and Derrick Martin had a two-run single as WSU drew within 4-3 of USF in the seventh inning. With two out in the eighth inning, USF's Lyall walked two hitters and hit a batsman to load the bases. After he was lifted, Zac Stange hit a two-run single off
Christian Lazar as WSU took a 5-4 lead. Martin, who had three hits and three RBI, followed with an RBI single for the 6-4 lead and then Herold shut down the Cougars for the win.
