The Cougars (19-20, 15-10 NSIC) completed a three-game series sweep against the Minot State Beavers (13-20, 8-17 NSIC) with a doubleheader victory at Corbett Field in Minot. In Game 1, the Cougars surged to an 8-4 win, fueled by Jaxon Haase's three home runs and a strong offensive outburst. Game 2 saw Sioux Falls capitalize on Minot State's errors and Ryan Gouldin's power to secure a 10-4 rout, finishing the weekend with a commanding performance.
Game 1: Sioux Falls 8, Minot State 4
The Cougars opened the doubleheader with an 8-4 victory over the Beavers. The Cougars erupted in the second inning for four runs. Isaac Bonner led off with a solo home run, followed by Jaxon Haase's solo homer. Jackson Yeager singled, and William Edwards added a bunt single, setting up Nolan Drossel's two-RBI double to score Yeager and Edwards, making it 4-0. Haase struck again in the third with another solo homer, extending the lead to 5-0.
In the fifth, Mitch Iliff hit a solo home run, and Haase delivered a two-run homer—his third of the game—scoring Ben Serie, who had walked, to push the lead to 8-0. Minot State scored in the fifth with an unearned run when Seamus Kary reached on a fielding error by Bonner and scored on Jacob Orthner's RBI single. The Beavers added three runs in the sixth, with Caden Hill's RBI double scoring Kody Munos, Matt Williamson's RBI single scoring Hill, and Owen Pegg's solo home run, closing the gap to 8-4.
Sioux Falls' pitching held firm. Jake Ammann (3-4) earned the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits over 5.2 innings with five strikeouts. Jace Coleman secured his second save, pitching 1.1 innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts.
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Game 2: Sioux Falls 10, Minot State 4
The Cougars sealed the series sweep with a 10-4 win over the Beavers in game 2. Sioux Falls took a 1-0 lead in the third when Ryan Gouldin homered to left field. Minot State tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the third with Caden Hill's RBI single scoring Noah Madas. In the fourth, Sioux Falls regained the lead at 2-1 when Isaac Bonner scored on a wild pitch. Minot State evened the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
In the fifth, Sioux Falls pulled ahead with two runs. Dominic Vogel's RBI single scored Nolan Drossel, who reached on an error by Minot State's Owen Pegg, making it 3-2. Vogel then scored on a wild pitch during Ben Serie's walk, pushing the lead to 4-2. Minot State responded in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, narrowing it to 4-3. The Cougars broke the game open in the sixth, scoring three runs: Vogel's two-RBI single scored Gouldin and Noah Christenson, and Vogel advanced to third on a fielding error by pitcher Grant Eastlick, allowing Drossel to score, making it 7-3. Another solo home run for the Beavers in the bottom of the sixth cut the lead to 7-4.
Sioux Falls added two runs in the seventh when Gouldin's two-RBI single scored Yeager and Jaxon Haase, pushing the lead to 9-4. In the eighth, Bonner's RBI double scored Serie, finalizing the score at 10-4.
Eli Larson started for Sioux Falls, allowing two runs on five hits over 3.2 innings. Johnny Checheris (2-0) earned the win, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Zach Peta threw 1.2 scoreless innings, and Tyler Maeyaert and Garrett Oswald combined for two scoreless innings.
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Up Next
Having swept Minot State, the Cougars travel to face Minnesota State in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at Bowyer Field in Mankato, Minn., beginning at 1:30 p.m., aiming to carry their momentum forward.
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