BRANDON, S.D. – A stellar effort on the hill from senior right-hander Matt Graham, plus an 11-hit attack - led by Ben Serie - helped the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (18-18, 10-11 NSIC) record a 7-2 win over Concordia St. Paul (15-16, 9-10 NSIC) on Friday (April 15) at First National Bank Field.

In ending a three-game NSIC losing streak, the Cougars improved to 10-11 in the NSIC for ninth place but just .24 points from eighth place (.476 winning pct. To .500 winning pct. for Northern State and Minnesota Duluth). USF, which is 18-18 overall, will play CSP in a league doubleheader on Saturday (April 16) at 12/2 pm in Brandon, S.D.

In improving to 3-4 this season, Graham had a noteworthy outing, including working the longest start of any USF starter this year. Graham allowed just four hits and two runs while recording eight strikeouts across eight innings. In his longest outing of his career, he threw 119 pitches and faced 29 hitters on a day when it was 41 degrees and windy. The eight strikeouts by Graham, who has 30 on the season, was the second best total in his career. Alex Bertram worked the ninth inning and did not allow a hit as he made his 12th appearance and lowered his earned run average in league play to 1.08.

USF led early when Ben Serie delivered a run-scoring double to plate Connor King (single) for a 1-0 lead. After CSP tied the game at 1-1 on a wild pitch, Kyle Gulbrandson delivered a go-ahead two-run single for a 3-1 lead. USF added two runs in the fourth inning and two more in the sixth before tallying single runs in the seventh and eighth frames for a 7-2 lead.   

The Cougars had an 11-hit attack, led by five players with two hits each. Leading the way was Serie, who had two RBI to go with the two hits. He doubled and hit his team-best seventh home run as he moved his average to .311 overall but to .328 in league games.

Connor King also had a pair of hits and a stolen base as he improved his OBP to .390 on the season. Noah Christenson, who is hitting .359 in league play and .389 (sixth, NSIC) overall, added two hits as did Grant Lung, who had two runs scored and a stolen base. Senior outfielder Kyle Gulbrandson had two hits, a run scored and two RBI.

Luke DeGrammont (3-2) took the loss for CSP as he allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts in six innings.

Stat Breakdown – Through 36 games, the Cougars are hitting .291 as a team for six in the league. USF has scored 225 runs with 323 hits, 41 doubles, five triples and 21 home runs. USF owns a .393 slugging and .378 OBP. Noah Christenson leads USF with a .389 average with 30 RBI, 51 hits, and a .436 OBP, all team-highs. Brady Klehr, who is hitting .338 in league play, has jumped his average to .343 with 23 RBI and a .500 slugging mark while Ben Serie is hitting .311 with 26 RBI and the team-high seven home runs. Grant Lung is hitting .280 and has a .383 OBP with a team-high 14 steals as USF has 64 as a team.

On the hill, USF has a 6.12 earned run average with 250 strikeouts in 272 innings. USF has three complete games and a shutout. Alex Krout leads USF with a 3.06 earned run average and six saves. He has 16 strikeouts in 17 innings. Among the starters, Caleb Ditmarson is 4-2 with a 3.70 earned run average and a team-high 47 strikeouts.