SIOUX FALLS – In his final start of the 2019 season,
Keenahn Coyle came up huge for the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team, which ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over Concordia St. Paul on Friday (May 3) at the Birdcage. USF and CSP will play an NSIC doubleheader on Saturday (May 4) at noon and 2 p.m., on Senior Day at the Birdcage. USF will recognize its eight seniors between the games.
Coyle (2-7), a sophomore from Sioux Falls, S.D., threw a career-best eight innings as he held CSP in check with four hits and just one unearned run. Coyle, who earned his second win of the season, had five strikeouts and two walks as he threw 107 pitches to 29 batters. Sophomore
Jackson Olson closed for USF as he picked up his first save of the season. Olson had a strikeout and allowed a hit in his one inning of work.
CSP starter Josh Gaworski (1-3) took the loss as he allowed four hits and three earned runs in five innings. Gaworski had a few control issues with five walks, hit batsman and two wild pitches. Connor Hurley finished for CSP and allowed a run on three hits with three strikeouts across three innings.
USF freshman
Trey Hubers led the hitting attack by tying his career-best with three hits, including a double. Sophomore shortstop
Grant Lung supplied two hits and his team-leading 34
th RBI. In USF's seven-hit attack, freshman outfielder
Connor King had a hit and two runs scored. Sophomore catcher
Sam Michels had a hit and run scored. CSP was led by a home run by Roch Whitaker.
USF took an early 1-0 lead over the Golden Bears after
Connor King walked, took second on Lung's single and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on
Alex Robinson's sacrifice fly. USF added to their lead when Michels was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on a single by Hubers to right field and scored on a wild pitch in the second inning. USF extended their lead to 3-0 when King walked to open the fourth inning. He advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Lung's RBI single.
Whitaker's home run in the fifth inning sliced USF's lead to 3-1. But USF answered with a run in the sixth inning. Hubers doubled and moved to third on a sacrifice by
Kyle Gulbrandson. Then, on the ensuing at bat, sophomore
Ryan Meyer laid down a perfectly placed bunt on a squeeze play and Hubers scored as USF led 4-1.
CSP closed the gap to 4-2 with an unearned run in the eighth inning. Jarod Wandersee, who opened the inning with a walk, scored a Patrick Bordewick RBI ground out as USF had a throwing error earlier in the frame. With the bases full, Coyle induced a pop up to right field by Ben Suits and ended the CSP scoring threat.
In the ninth, Olson shut the door on CSP to help USF earn the home win.
