AUBURNDALE, FLA. – The University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team dropped a pair of close games to Grand Valley State as the Cougars opened its spring break trip in Florida. USF lost the opener, 7-5, before falling in the nightcap, 6-5.

USF will continue play in Florida with a doubleheader against Malone at 8:15/10:15 am in Auburndale, Fla.

Ben Serie had a big day for USF with four hits in five at bats while also producing a pair of RBIs. He is now hitting .343 and ranks second on the team with 10 RBI. Trey Hubers had three hits and a pair of RBI in the doubleheader. He now leads USF with 11 RBI and has jumped his average to .364 on the season.  Noah Christenson, who is leading USF with a .513 batting average and .533 on-base percentage, added three hits in the two games as he continued to rake and lead USF in hitting.  He also has a team-high 20 points.

Through 10 games, USF is now hitting .326 with 23 extra base hits and a .443 slugging mark as well as a .414 on-base percentage.

Game 1 - Grand Valley State 7 USF 5
USF dropped a 7-5 decision to GVSU as a late rally fell short.

The Cougars totaled five runs off nine hits, including two each from Noah Christenson and Grant Lung, who each had an RBI. From the leadoff spot Tyler Cate had a pair of hits and Ben Serie added two more hits. Trey Hubers continued his RBI production with a two-run single in the first inning.

GVSU led 1-0 before USF took a 3-1 lead. With four runs in the fifth inning, GVSU led 7-3 before the Cougars scored twice in the seventh inning but fell short of drawing even.
Logan Parker-Sjoberg (0-1) look the loss as he allowed four hits and four runs in 1 1/3 innings. Alex Bertram had the start and gave up three runs on four hits in three innings. He had a pair of strikeouts and three walks. Andrew Maslowski worked 2/3 of an inning and gave up a hit and had a strikeout. Jacob Emerson threw two innings of scoreless relief in which he allowed two hits but had a pair of strikeouts.

GVSU took a 1-0 lead on a base hit, stolen bases and two-out error on USF.  The Cougars had an answer in the bottom half of the frame as Trey Hubers had a two-run single after GVSU committed errors on balls hit by Noah Christenson and Grant Lung, who both came home on Hubers' 10^th and 11^th RBI of the season.  USF had a 3-1 lead before GVSU answered with six unanswered runs for a 7-3 lead. In the seventh inning USF rallied with two, including an RBI single from Grant Lung to draw within 7-5.

Game 2 – Grand Valley State 6 Sioux Falls 5
Despite a 5-0 lead early, the Cougars dropped a 6-5 decision to GVSU in the second game of the doubleheader. USF outhit GVSU, 8-5, but the six-run fifth inning for the Lakers proved to be the difference.

USF had solid production from Trey Hubers and Zach Andreasen, who both had two hits in the eight-hit attack for USF. Noah Christenson had a hit, run scored and two RBI. Ben Serie added a hit and two RBI. Tyler Cate had a hit, run and stolen base while Weston Gerde had a hit and run scored.

Drew Leonard had his first start of the season and allowed just two hits in 4 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Leonard was charged with three runs. Derek Lundgren (1-1) took the loss. Lundgren took over in the fifth inning and gave up two runs on two hits as GVSU took the lead.

In the top of the first inning, USF jumped on top as RBI from Ben Serie and Jared Binsfeld gave USF a 2-0 lead. Cougars added to their lead with a three-spot in the top of the fifth inning. After Zach Andreasen and Weston Gerde had hits but came home on a run-scoring hit from Noah Christenson. Later, Serie added his second RBI of the game to score Christenson.

GVSU tied the game in the fifth inning as Christian Faust hit a three-run double with two out.  Nathan Logan's double to left field scored Faust as GVSU took a 6-5 lead.