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University of Sioux Falls Athletics

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USF Baseball Celebrates a walk off
Jurgens Photography
5
Minnesota-Duluth UMD 7-20
6
Winner Sioux Falls USF 12-13
Minnesota-Duluth UMD
7-20
5
Final
6
Sioux Falls USF
12-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Minnesota-Duluth UMD 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 5 10 1
Sioux Falls USF 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 6 10 1

W: Maeyaert, Tyler (1-0) L: Haughton, Jacob (0-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Clint Neumann

Cougars Walk It Off in 11 to Take Series Over Minnesota Duluth

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Sioux Falls baseball team earned a dramatic series-clinching win Sunday afternoon, walking off Minnesota Duluth 6-5 in 11 innings at Sioux Falls Stadium. In a game that swung back and forth all afternoon, the Cougars showed resilience late, erasing a two-run deficit in the ninth before finishing the job in the 11th on Brady Schafer's sacrifice fly.

Sioux Falls got another big day from Mitch Iliff, who finished with four hits, three RBI, and the game-tying two-run homer in the ninth. The Cougars also received strong relief work from Tyler Maeyaert, who earned the win after tossing three scoreless innings and helping strand the potential go-ahead run in the 11th. With the victory, USF took the weekend series from the Bulldogs and improved to 12-13 overall.

Final Score

  • Sioux Falls 6, Minnesota Duluth 5 (11 innings)

How It Happened

Minnesota Duluth struck first in the opening inning, using a leadoff walk and a two-out RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.

The Cougars answered in the second. Drew Miller singled and moved into scoring position before Casey Sehr laid down a sacrifice bunt. Nolan Drossel then delivered an RBI single to right, briefly putting USF on the board and evening the score at 1-1.

Sioux Falls grabbed its first lead in the third. William Edwards singled, moved into scoring position on a balk, and scored on Iliff's RBI double to left-center. Later in the inning, Miller lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring home another run and give the Cougars a 3-1 advantage.

Minnesota Duluth responded in the fourth. A walk, a single, and aggressive baserunning set up a two-run inning that tied the game at 3-3.

The Bulldogs pulled back in front in the sixth on an RBI double, then added another run in the eighth on a two-out single to make it 5-3 and put the Cougars down to their final outs.

Sioux Falls delivered its biggest swing in the ninth. Edwards worked a walk with two outs, and Iliff followed by hammering a two-run homer down the left-field line to tie the game at 5-5 and send the crowd into a frenzy.

The Cougars nearly ended it in the 10th when Jackson Yeager reached and Miller singled up the middle, but Minnesota Duluth escaped the inning with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout.

Maeyaert and the Sioux Falls defense answered in the 11th. After a one-out walk and a single put the Bulldogs in position to take the lead, the Cougars cut down the runner at the plate on a throw from right field, then got out of the inning without damage.

That set the stage for the walk-off in the bottom half. Vogel worked a leadoff walk, and Iliff followed with a single to put two aboard. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Schafer lifted a fly ball deep enough to right field to bring home Vogel and give the Cougars the 6-5 win.

On the Mound

  • Starting pitcher: Owen Weadge — 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
  • Decision: Win — Tyler Maeyaert (1-0)
  • Bullpen impact: Carter Sehr and Jack Richeson combined to keep the game within reach through the middle innings, while Maeyaert tossed 3.0 scoreless innings to close it out
  • Notable pitching moments: Maeyaert helped strand the would-be go-ahead run in the 11th, preserving the tie and setting up the walk-off finish

At the Plate

  • Multi-hit games: Mitch Iliff (4-for-4), Drew Miller (2-for-4), Nolan Drossel (2-for-5)
  • Extra-base hits: Iliff (double, home run)
  • RBIs: Iliff (3), Schafer (1), Miller (1), Drossel (1)
  • Clutch situations: Iliff's two-run homer tied the game in the ninth, and Schafer's sacrifice fly delivered the walk-off run in the 11th
  • Team totals: 10 hits, 6 runs, 7 walks, 2 hit by pitch, 10 left on base

Coach's Corner

"What a game! The boys fought 'til the last out. Mitch coming up with a clutch 2-out 2-run homer to tie it up in the bottom of the 9th. Then Tyler being able to hang some zero's & pick up the first win of his career. Pretty cool. It was fun to watch the boys battle in extras innings & come out on top. Brady with some good situational hitting, getting the ball deep enough in the outfield to score the winning run. And Will making a big throw to the plate the inning prior. Both teams were making plays & we just happened to make one more than them. It was a big series win, especially given how we've played against Duluth the past few years. Hopefully the boys enjoy this win & then can turn the page tomorrow & get ready for a big series with Mankato coming to town on Tuesday."
– Head Coach Grant Hieb

Up Next

The Cougars have a quick turnaround with a midweek doubleheader against Minnesota State on Tuesday, March 31 at 1:30 p.m. Sioux Falls will look to build on Sunday's momentum as it returns to action for another important NSIC matchup.

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