BOLIVAR, MO. – The University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (2-0) put on an offensive show in sweeping a doubleheader, 13-8 and 9-7, with Southwest Baptist (0-2) in the season-opening doubleheader for both teams on Sunday. The Cougars totaled 22 runs and 31 hits as they hit .388 as a team with a .588 slugging mark and .444 on-base percentage.

"It was good to get the season off on the right foot. We swung it really well in the first game and I was glad to see our guys get off to a hot start at the plate," said USF sixth-year Head Coach Grant Hieb, whose team will face SW Baptist in another nonconference doubleheader on Monday starting at noon. "In the second game we were able to overcome one bad inning and come back and pull out the win. Ben Serie came up with a big hit (grand slam) to get the lead back. And, Alex Krout did a great job on the back end closing both games. I hope we can keep it going," he said.

In game one, USF led from start to finish in the 13-8 win, using home runs by Serie and Tyler Blackburn to get the win. In game two, USF opened up a 4-0 lead before SW Baptist rallied for a 5-4 lead. In the fifth inning, Serie's grand slam gave USF the lead which the Cougars did not relinquish.

Redshirt freshman Noah Christenson had a big opening day for USF with eight hits (four in each game) in 10 at bats with six runs and a 1.000 slugging mark and .727 on-base percentage. Grant Lung had five hits in nine at bats for a .556 average, .556 slugging and .636 on base-percentage. Serie hit .444 with a 1.222 slugging mark as he had four hits, three runs and two home runs with a team-best six RBI and 11 total bases on the day.  The 20 hits by USF are the most since recording 20 hits and 12 runs in a 13-12 loss at Colorado School of Mines on March 13, 2018. On the mound, USF had 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. Senior Alex Krout, who had five saves a year ago, registered saves in both wins today.

G1 – Sioux Falls 13 SW Baptist 8 (9 inn.)
Five players had three hits or more, including four by Christenson in his first career start, to lead USF to a season-opening, 13-8 win over Southwest Baptist.

Christenson had four hits and three runs with an RBI to lead USF. USF also had three hits from Tyler Cate, who added two runs scored, as he had USF's first hit of the year in his first at bat. Lung added three hits and two runs with a RBI while Trey Hubers had three hits and three RBI. Tyler Blackburn hit his second career home run as part of his three hits and had his career-high with four RBI. Also in his first start, Serie had two hits and two RBI with his first career home run.

Connor McGonigal (1-0) picked up the win in relief. He tossed 2 2/3 innings and allowed three hits and an earned run with four strikeouts. Matt Graham started and worked four innings with five of the team's 11 strikeouts. He allowed six hits and four runs. Alex Bertram worked two innings and recorded a strikeout while allowing three hits and three runs. Krout earned his first save by striking out the final SW Baptist hitter in the ninth inning with bases loaded and two outs.

Scoring Summary -- USF's offense opened fast by scoring seven runs in the opening two innings. Cate led off the first with a single. Then Christenson also singled with Lung reaching via a walk. Hubers had a two-run single to plate Cate and Christenson. After Jared Binsfeld reached on a walk, Blackburn hit a three-run triple for a 5-0 lead. In the second, Christenson and Lung singled and scored on Hubers' RBI single of the game for a 7-2 lead. In the third inning Serie had his first career hit and RBI as USF took an 8-3 lead. In the top of the fifth inning with two out, Lung singled in Cate, who had reached on a double and then Christenson, who had singled, came home on Hunter Scruggs first career hit and RBI for a 10-4 lead. After SW Baptist closed to within 11-8, USF had a two-run home run by Serie, his career-first, giving the Cougars a 13-8 lead.

G2 – Sioux Falls 9 SW Baptist 7 (7 inn.)
Serie hit his career-first grand slam and Christenson had four hits for a second straight game to lift USF to a come-from-behind 9-7 win over SW Baptist in game two.

Christenson had four hits in five at bats with three runs scored and an RBI. Serie had two hits, including the grand slam, four RBI and a run scored. Grant Lung also had a multi-hit game for a second straight game as USF had 11 hits which brought across nine runs.

Sophomore Derek Lundgren (1-0) picked up his first career win as he allowed just three hits in three innings with six strikeouts. He came on into relief of Cole Schumacher, who worked three innings. Schumacher allowed three earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Krout earned his second straight save with one inning of scoreless relief.

Scoring Summary -- USF struck early again in game two, running out to a 4-0 lead after Lung and Christenson had RBI hits and Noah Buss had an RBI when he was hit by a pitch. In the third inning, SW Baptist rallied and a grand slam from Brennan Espy help them to a 5-4 lead. USF answered in the fifth inning as Serie hit his first career grand slam with his second home run of the day and an 8-5 lead in the fifth inning.  After Christensen doubled and moved up on an infield single by Lung, Hunter Scruggs had an RBI single to give USF a 9-5 lead in the fifth inning.