MINOT, N.D. – Minot State (5-3, 3-0 NSIC) defeated the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (4-3, 0-3 NSIC), 11-3, on Sunday in the final of a three-game series played at Corbett Field on Sunday (March 21).

With the loss, USF lost to the Beavers for the eighth straight time and dropped to 0-3 in NSIC play after a 4-0 start in the conference season. MiSU is now 5-3 overall and 3-0 in league play. 

USF finished with four hits, including one by junior shortstop Grant Lung, who supplied three RBI. Lung, who is hitting .389 on the year, now has a team-high 10 RBI on the season. Sophomore center fielder Connor King had a hit and two runs scored and stole two bases. Zach Andreasen and Sam Michels also had base hits to lead USF's offense.

Cole Schumacher (1-1) started and took the loss for USF. In 4 2/3 innings Schumacher gave up six hits and four runs while registering a career-best eight strikeouts without walking a hitter as he threw 60 pitches and faced 22 batters. Zachary Shastay worked 1 1/3 innings and gave up a run on three hits with two strikeouts. Also working on the hill for USF was Jake Haugen (1/3 inning, 2 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, K), Jacob Emerson (1 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, walk, 2 K) and Caleb Ditmarson (1 inning, 2 hits, 2K). In total USF struck out 15 MiSU batters but allowed 17 hits in nine innings.

Branden Hatley earned the win for MiSU, which struck out 15 USF batters in using five pitchers. Leading the MiSU hitting attack was Declan Buckle with three hits and three runs scored while Gunner Kozlowitz had two hits and three RBI and Nolan Monthei had three hits and three RBI with two runs scored. Ryley Humrighouse added three hits and two runs scored.

In the first inning, USF's King walked, stole second and later scored on an RBI groundout by Lung. Then MiSU broke through in the fourth inning as Koslowitz had an RBI single with two outs and tied the game at 1-1. Koslowitz had a two-run single to help MiSU with a three-run fifth inning and take a 4-1 lead. In the sixth inning, MiSU had three straight hits to take a 5-1 lead after a single from Buckle. MiSU added five more runs in the seventh inning as they utilized three hits, and three walks.

In the eighth inning, the Cougars had hits from Sam Michels and King and a walk to Tyler Cate which was followed by a two-run single from Lung to cut the deficit to 11-3.

Up next on USF's schedule is a mid-week doubleheader on Wednesday, March 24 against Minnesota Crookston at Sioux Falls Stadium with a 1:30/3:30 pm scheduled start.