RALSTON, Neb. – The University of Sioux Falls baseball team split Sunday's NSIC doubleheader with Winona State at Ralston High School, falling 8-5 in the opener before bouncing back with a 1-0 pitching duel victory in game two. The Cougars showed resilience throughout the day, trimming a six-run deficit to three in the first game before leaning on a dominant staff effort in the nightcap to secure the split.

Sioux Falls got strong relief work across both contests and once again found timely offensive contributions from the middle of the lineup. Drew Miller, Casey Sehr, and Mitch Iliff helped fuel the comeback effort in game one, while Austin Kemp, Jack Richeson, and Tyler Maeyaert combined to lock down the Warriors in game two after the Cougars scratched across the game's only run in the fourth inning. With the split, Sioux Falls moved to 8-10 overall heading into next weekend's series against Northern State.

Final Score(s):

• Game one: Winona State 8, Sioux Falls 5
• Game two: Sioux Falls 1, Winona State 0

Game One – How It Happened

Winona State came out swinging in the opener and put Sioux Falls in an early hole. After two quick outs in the top of the first, the Warriors strung together a walk, a double, and a two-run single to jump in front. A run-scoring single and a Sioux Falls error added two more, giving Winona State a 4-0 lead before the Cougars had recorded their first at-bat.

The Warriors pushed the margin to 6-0 in the third. A leadoff double and a single set the table, and another RBI hit followed by an outfield error allowed two runs to score.

Sioux Falls answered in the bottom half. Casey Sehr and Dominic Vogel both reached, and Mitch Iliff drove home two with a double down the left-field line. A groundout from Justin Johnson plated Iliff later in the inning, trimming the deficit to 6-3 and giving the Cougars life.

After both staffs settled in for a stretch, Winona State added two more in the sixth on an RBI double and an RBI single to extend the lead back to 8-3.

The Cougars made one final push in the bottom of the sixth. Jackson Yeager singled up the middle, Carson Jager entered as a pinch runner and promptly stole second, and Drew Miller delivered an RBI single to bring him home. Later in the frame, after Casey Sehr moved runners with a sacrifice bunt, Nolan Drossel drove in another run with a groundout to cut the deficit to 8-5.

That would be as close as Sioux Falls would get. Winona State's bullpen closed the final three innings, and the Cougars stranded runners in both the eighth and ninth as the Warriors held on in the opener.

Game One – On the Mound

• Starting pitcher: Logan Anderson – 2.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

• Decision: Loss – Anderson (2-3)

• Bullpen impact: Owen Weadge gave Sioux Falls 3.2 innings and limited further damage for most of his outing, while Jake Pruchniak was outstanding in relief with 3.1 scoreless innings and four strikeouts.

• Notable pitching moments: Pruchniak shut the door late and gave the Cougars a chance to climb back into the game.

Game One – At the Plate

• Multi-hit games: Drew Miller (2-for-4), Casey Sehr (2-for-3)

• Extra-base hits: Mitch Iliff (double)

• RBIs: Iliff (2), Johnson (1), Miller (1), Drossel (1)

• Clutch situations: Iliff's two-run double in the third got USF on the board, and Miller's RBI single in the sixth helped fuel the late push.

• Team totals: 9 hits, 3 walks, 2 hit-by-pitches

Game Two – How It Happened

The nightcap turned into a classic pitchers' duel from the opening inning, with both teams struggling to find offense and every baserunner carrying weight.

Winona State threatened in the first, putting two aboard with a walk and a single, but Taylor Morrissette worked out of trouble to keep the game scoreless. Sioux Falls had an early chance of its own when Dominic Vogel reached on an error and moved into scoring position, but the Cougars were unable to cash in.

Drew Miller gave USF a spark in the second with a double to center, but again the Cougars left him stranded. Austin Kemp entered in the third and immediately settled the game down, retiring the side in order and keeping momentum on the Sioux Falls side.

The breakthrough finally came in the fourth. William Edwards singled up the middle and Brady Schafer was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Miller then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both into scoring position, and Daniel Estrada brought home Edwards with a groundout to the left side for the game's only run.

That one run stood because the Cougars' pitching staff never blinked. Winona State put pressure on Sioux Falls in the fifth when a passed ball and wild pitch moved the tying run to third, but Cooper Sanders stranded two to keep USF in front. Jack Richeson tossed a clean sixth, and Tyler Maeyaert came on in the seventh and retired the side in order to lock down the save.

Game Two – On the Mound

• Starting pitcher: Taylor Morrissette – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

• Decision: Win – Austin Kemp (1-1); Save – Tyler Maeyaert (1)

• Bullpen impact: Kemp worked 2.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, Cooper Sanders added a scoreless fifth, Richeson tossed a clean sixth, and Maeyaert closed it out in the seventh.

• Notable pitching moments: The Sioux Falls staff combined for a two-hit shutout and allowed Winona State just one extra-base opportunity all game.

Game Two – At the Plate

• Extra-base hits: Drew Miller (double), Mitch Iliff (double)

• RBIs: Daniel Estrada (1)

• Clutch situations: Miller's sacrifice bunt moved the go-ahead run into position, and Estrada's RBI groundout supplied the only run the Cougars needed.

• Team totals: 5 hits, 0 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch

Key Cougars (Day Standouts)

• Jake Pruchniak – Tossed 3.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in the opener to keep Sioux Falls within reach.

• Austin Kemp – Earned the win in game two with two clean innings and two strikeouts.

• Drew Miller – Had two hits and an RBI in game one, then added a key double and sacrifice bunt in the nightcap.

• Casey Sehr – Reached safely and contributed on both sides of the ball, helping spark Sioux Falls in game one and manufacturing the go-ahead run in game two.

• Tyler Maeyaert – Closed out the shutout in game two and earned the save.

• Mitch Iliff – Delivered a two-run double in the opener and added another extra-base hit in the nightcap.

Coach's Corner

""We didn't play well enough to win the first game. We made too many mistakes on the bases & had a couple miscues on defense that they took advantage of. Jake and Owen did a great job keeping us in the game after we took Logan out but we couldn't get any timely hits to complete the comeback…Our pitchers all threw it well in the second game. It was good to see Taylor have a couple clean innings as we've been working him back from a broken bone in his foot and didn't throw all fall for us. All the relievers threw it well too. Coach Hirrschoff has been working hard the past couple of years trying to build a pitching staff that can give us a chance to win this league. It's fun to watch his hard work paying off. These boys are competing and giving us a chance to win every game. That's all I can ask for. Our defense has steadily been improving each week and that's what I want to see. Continuing to improve throughout the spring so we're playing our best ball come tourney time. Looking forward to using this week to rest up before we play Northern State next weekend.""
– Head Coach Grant Hieb

Up Next

The Cougars continue NSIC action next weekend as they head north to face the Northern State Wolves in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Sioux Falls is scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21 beginning at 1:30 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday, March 22 at 1:30 p.m., with all three contests set to be played at Fossum Field.

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