PUEBLO, Colo.- After faltering late on Friday against Montana State – Billings on Friday, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (1-2) came back strong in a dominate 17-3 win over the Yellowjackets on Sunday which was the first win of the season for the Cougars.
 
The Numbers-
This is the first win for USF since their closing series at home against Concordia-St. Paul (May 4; 5-3) and the first time since the Cougars' 20-2 win over Bemidji State at home (Apr. 7, game two), that USF has scored 10 or more runs in a game.
 
The Cougars finished the game with 17 runs on 17 hits and six walks. In total, there were 13 RBIs for USF, including four from Brennan Albert, who went 3-for-4 on the day with a walk and run. Grant Lung led the way with four runs, and another three from Ryan Bernardy.
 
Alex Klout (1-0) had a strong outing, tossing five innings of three-run baseball while surrendering only four hits and a walk.
 
On the other side of the diamond, the Yellowjackets recorded only six hits and a walk. The MSUB pitching staff had a struggle with control, recording two hit by pitches, as well as four wild pitches.
 
The Game-
The Cougars got it going in the first inning, jumping all over Yellowjacket starter Roubidoux, who failed to record an out before being pulled. USF was going station-to-station in the beginning, with a leadoff single from Connor King. A walk from Jared Binsfeld and a Lung single loaded the bases, which gave Ryan the opportunity to do some damage, which he did with an RBI-single. Zane Butts forced in another run by wearing a pitch and forcing MSUB to finally pull Roubidoux. The new pitcher, Heward, had a battle with hot-hitting Albert coming to the plate. Albert won the battle with a two-run single. Tyler Blackburn got the final run of the inning in with a double play (no RBI), putting the Cougars ahead 5-0 before MSUB got to bat.
 
After seven straight batters were retired in a row, the Yellowjackets got their first hit of the game, as Rudinsky hit an one-out single in the second inning, and scored on an E4 that could have ended the inning, and cut the Cougar lead down to 5-1.
 
The Cougars had an answer in the next half inning, with Lung leading off the inning by reaching second on an E3. Butts would again reach first on a hit by pitch. After both runners advanced, a wild pitch to Blackburn got Lung home and Butts to third. Blackburn then doubled to score Butts and scored himself on a pair of wild pitches. Two walks and a single loaded the bases again, with Binsfeld hitting in two runs with a single to give USF the 10-1 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets answered back in the bottom of the third with an RBI-single to make it a 10-2 Cougar lead. They would strike again in the fourth inning, with a two-out double, followed by an RBI-triple to make it a seven-run lead for the Cougars.
 
It was not until the sixth inning that either team scored again, and the Cougars had their third five-run inning of the game, with Lung scoring on another wild pitch by the Yellowjacket pitching staff. Albert, Meyer, Hubers, and King all hit in a run, with each hitting a single except for Hubers, who smacked a double to left field.
 
A pair of RBI-doubles in the seventh inning by Bernardy and Albert gave the Cougars their eventual 17-3 winning score.
 
What's Next-
The Cougars have next weekend off, but will be back in action on Feb. 28 when they travel to Denver, Colo., for a three-day, three-game series with Metro State – Denver.