AUBURNDALE, FLA. – With an offensive explosion in game two, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (4-6) split a doubleheader with Grand Valley State (10-3) on Saturday on day two of the Cougars' Spring Break Trip in Florida. The Cougars dropped a 7-1 decision in the opener before rolling up 11 hits and taking a 10-4 win in game two.

Quick Stat Breakdown - On a 60 degree sunny day in Florida, USF senior Ryan Bernardy had a big day with three hits in six at bats. Bernardy, who is now hitting a team-high .400 through 10 games, had four runs scored, two triples and two RBI. Bernardy now has a .733 slugging mark and .513 OBP. Shortstop Grant Lung, who is hitting .368 with a .632 slugging mark and team high, 24 total bases, added three hits in eight at bats with a home run, RBI and six total bases. Alex Robinson, Brennan Albert and Zane Butts also had two hits on the day. Butts is hitting .294 with a team-high 11 RBI. Albert added four runs scored as USF had 11 runs on 16 hits on the day and hit .291. Today, USF pitchers had a 5.79 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just five walks. USF is now hitting .282 on the season with a .413 OBP and has 12 steals while dropping its ERA to 6.81.

Next for USF, which has won 3-of-4 on the Florida trip, will be a game against NSIC opponent and No. 25-ranked Minnesota State at 9 am on Monday in Sanford, Fla. The Cougars will also face Wayne State (Mich.) at 12:30 pm on Monday, also in Sanford, Fla.

G1 -- Grand Valley 7 USF 1
In the opener, GVSU took an early 5-0 lead and finished a 7-1 decision as the Cougars managed just five hits.

USF picked up its only run in the seventh inning after Ryan Bernardy doubled and scored on a double by Alex Robinson. Alex Bertram (0-1) took the loss after allowing five hits and five runs in 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and a walk. Andrew Maslowski also threw for USF and allowed four hits and one earned run with a career-high seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Drew Leonard worked 2/3 of an inning and had a strikeout.

GVSU pitcher Austin Brown had a complete-game five-hitter as he moved to 2-0 on the season. He struck out five USF hitters.

G2 – Sioux Falls 10 Grand Valley State 4
With a strong pitching outing from senior Matt Graham and an offense that produced 11 hits, including four triples, and a HR, the Cougars rebounded for a 10-4 win over Grand Valley State in game two. 

Graham (1-0) made the start for USF and worked four innings to earn his first win of the season. He allowed five hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts and a walk. Alex Krout entered the game in the fifth inning and finished the game to pick up his first save of his career at USF. Krout allowed three hits and an earned run with three strikeouts and two walks in three innings. Keaghan Sutliff (0-1) took the loss for GVSU as he allowed four hits and three runs in 1/3 of an inning. GVSU used three other pitchers, who allowed the other seven runs - all earned.

The USF offense, which had six extra base hits, including four triples, was led by Grant Lung, who had three hits and his first home run of the season. Brennan Albert had two hits, including a triple, in three at bats with four runs scored and an RBI while Bernardy continued his early season offensive production with two hits – both triples – three runs scored and two RBI. Butts had two hits, which included a double, and three RBI as the Cougars had 11 hits and registered a season-high for stolen bases in a game with seven.

The Cougars jumped out early on the Lakers as Lung hit his first home run of the season with a one-out blast in the first inning. Then Albert and Bernardy followed with triples as USF led, 2-0. With an RBI single from Robinson, the Cougars moved to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. In the bottom half of the inning, GVSU added an unearned run.

USF added a run in the second inning as Luke Rysavy opened with a walk and moved to second on a single by Ryan Meyer. Rysavy later scored on a sacrifice fly by Connor King for a 4-1 lead. GVSU drew within, 4-3, with a pair of runs in the third inning. Later after Bernardy and Albert drew walks, Butts had USF's third triple of the game as the Cougars built a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning against GVSU.

After the Lakers moved closer with a run in the sixth inning, the Cougars had the answer with two-spot in the seventh inning. King walked, stole second and third and scored on a run-scoring hit by Albert. Then, Bernardy had his second triple of the game to plate Albert, who had his fourth run of the game, as USF took a 10-4 lead.