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University of Sioux Falls Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Mitch Iliff rounding third
Jurgens Photography
14
Winner Sioux Falls USF 4-6
5
Wilmington (Del.) WILMU 6-3
Winner
Sioux Falls USF
4-6
14
Final
5
Wilmington (Del.) WILMU
6-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Sioux Falls USF 2 0 0 0 1 3 2 1 5 14 18 3
Wilmington (Del.) WILMU 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 11 2

W: Peta, Zach (1-0) L: Steven Mann (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Madie Brink

USF Bats Come Alive in Statement Win at RussMatt Invitational

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The University of Sioux Falls erupted for 18 hits and scored in five different innings today, powering past Wilmington (Del.) 14-5 at Chain of Lakes during RussMatt Invitational play.

After falling behind 3-2 through three innings, the Cougars steadily took control, highlighted by a three-run sixth, a two-run seventh, and a five-run ninth to put the game out of reach. Casey Sehr led the offensive surge with a perfect 5-for-5 performance, while Mitch Iliff and Justin Johnson each homered as Sioux Falls improved to 4-6 overall.

Final Score: Sioux Falls 14, Wilmington (Del.) 5
Overall Record: Sioux Falls 4-6, Wilmington 6-3

How It Happened

Sioux Falls struck immediately in the top of the first. William Edwards opened the scoring by crossing the plate on Iliff's RBI triple down the right-field line. Caden Ransom followed with a groundout that brought Iliff home, giving USF a quick 2-0 lead.

Wilmington answered in the second with a run-scoring double and a fielder's choice that resulted in an unearned run, tying the game at 2-2. The Wildcats took their first lead in the third on an RBI single to move ahead 3-2.

The Cougars evened things in the fifth when Edwards lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Sehr and tying the contest at 3-3.

USF then delivered the decisive blow in the sixth. Johnson launched a two-run home run to left, scoring Drew Miller and flipping the momentum in favor of Sioux Falls. Moments later, Sehr added an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-3.

Wilmington trimmed the deficit to 6-4 in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly, but Iliff responded in the seventh with a two-run homer to right field, pushing the advantage to 8-4.

Sioux Falls continued to apply pressure in the eighth and ninth. Dominic Vogel drove in a run with a single in the eighth before the Cougars broke it open in the ninth. Johnson singled home a run, Sehr followed with another RBI base hit, and Nolan Drossel capped the frame with a two-run triple to center. Vogel added one more RBI on a groundout to complete the five-run inning.

Wilmington added a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, but the outcome was firmly in hand as USF secured the 14-5 victory.

On the Mound

  • Starting pitcher: Jake Pruchniak – 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 9 FO, 4 GO

  • Decision: Zach Peta (W, 1-0)

  • Bullpen impact: Peta (2.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 K) bridged the middle innings effectively; Austin Kemp closed it out with 2.0 IP, allowing one run while striking out four.

  • Notable pitching moments: Peta struck out five in 2.1 innings and did not allow an earned run, stabilizing the game after Wilmington briefly took the lead.

At the Plate

  • Multi-hit games: Casey Sehr (5-for-5), Dominic Vogel (3-for-6), Justin Johnson (3-for-3), Cullen Verville (2-for-5), Mitch Iliff (2-for-5)

  • Extra-base hits: Iliff (HR, 3B), Johnson (HR), Drossel (3B), Verville (2B)

  • RBIs: Iliff (3), Johnson (3), Sehr (2), Drossel (2), Vogel (2), Edwards (1), Ransom (1)

  • Clutch situations: Johnson's two-run homer in the sixth broke a 3-3 tie; Iliff's two-run shot in the seventh created separation; USF plated five in the ninth to eliminate any doubt.

  • Team totals: 18 hits, 14 runs, 2 walks, 3 errors, 6 left on base

Coach's Corner

"It was great to see our offense put together better at-bats today. I felt like we competed a lot better in the box than we have so far this spring and it was the reason we hung the most runs we have so far this season. Casey Sehr had a big game with the first 5-hit game of his career. Our defense still had too many miscues but our pitchers did a great job at picking us up. Jake is a gamer and always gives us a chance to win, but Zach and Austin threw well out of the 'pen today too. Our pitchers combined for 10 Ks today while our defense managed to force WilmU to leave 12 runners on. I'm hoping we can continue to throw it well this weekend in our upcoming series with Florida Tech and our offense can build off this game."
– Head Coach Grant Hieb

Up Next

Sioux Falls will head over to Melbourne, Florida to take on Florida Tech in a four game series starting Friday, March 6th at 2pm (CST) followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 1pm and 4pm, respectively, and a final game on Sunday at 1pm.

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