MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of Sioux Falls baseball team closed out its Florida trip with one of its most complete performances of the season, defeating Florida Tech 10-3 Sunday afternoon at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field. Sioux Falls powered its way to the win with 16 hits and a balanced offensive attack while Logan Anderson and Zach Peta combined for eight strong innings on the mound.
The game was officially called after eight innings due to lightning in the area. Sioux Falls had already batted in the top of the ninth inning, but lightning struck as the Cougars took the field defensively, forcing officials to halt play and revert the game to a completed eight-inning contest.
Final Score: Sioux Falls 10, Florida Tech 3
How It Happened
Sioux Falls wasted no time jumping in front. After William Edwards worked a two-out walk in the top of the first, Brady Schafer crushed a two-run homer to left-center to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead and set the tone for the afternoon.
The Cougars added on again in the third. Justin Johnson doubled to left-center and Casey Sehr followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Two batters later, Colin Gibson delivered a two-run single to center to stretch the lead to 4-0.
After stranding chances in the second and fourth, USF broke through again in the fifth. Sehr opened the inning with a bunt single and eventually came around to score when Nolan Drossel doubled to left-center. Vogel followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, giving Sioux Falls a 6-0 cushion.
Florida Tech finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer from Adrian Dominguez, trimming the lead to 6-2. The Panthers pulled a little closer in the sixth when Marcello Cortale went deep to make it 6-3.
But the Cougars answered with their biggest inning of the day in the seventh.
Sehr opened the frame with a single and Verville followed with another hit to put two aboard. After Gibson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Drossel worked an RBI walk to force in a run. Vogel then came through with an RBI single to center, and Edwards capped the rally with a two-run single through the left side to push the lead to 10-3.
That was more than enough for the Sioux Falls pitching staff, which locked in from there. Peta retired the Panthers in order in the seventh and worked around a late double in the eighth to preserve the lead and finish off the win.
As the Cougars took the field to begin the bottom of the ninth inning, lightning in the area ultimately ended the contest. Because Sioux Falls had already completed its half of the inning, the game was ruled final after eight innings with the Cougars securing the 10-3 victory.
On the Mound
Starting pitcher: Logan Anderson – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Decision: Win – Anderson (2-2)
Bullpen impact: Zach Peta was outstanding in relief, tossing 3.0 innings while allowing just three hits and one run with two strikeouts.
Notable pitching moments: Anderson worked through traffic and limited the damage, while Peta shut down Florida Tech over the final three innings and kept the Panthers from mounting any late comeback.
At the Plate
Multi-hit games:
Extra-base hits:
RBIs:
- Schafer – 2
- Gibson – 2
- Drossel – 2
- Vogel – 2
- Edwards – 2
Clutch situations:
- Schafer's two-run homer gave USF an immediate lead
- Gibson's two-out, two-run single in the third helped extend the advantage
- Edwards' two-run single in the seventh helped put the game away
Team totals:
- 16 hits
- 10 runs
- 3 walks
- 0 errors
Coach's Corner
"Was good to see us finally put together a solid all-around game," said head coach Grant Hieb. "We swung it a lot better and came up with some clutch two-out hits today. Schafer had one of them as he got us going with a big two-run homer in the top of the first. It was nice to get a lead for a change and take some pressure off our starting pitcher.
"Logan took full advantage too and threw really well for us. And then Peta picked up where he left off closing out the last three innings. It was good for the guys to see what they're capable of when they play well in all three phases of the game — pitching, hitting, and baserunning, which is what we needed before going back and resuming conference play next weekend."
Up Next
The Cougars return to South Dakota after a full week of games in Florida and will resume NSIC action next weekend at home against Winona State. Sioux Falls is scheduled to host doubleheaders on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m. each day and game two to follow at approximately 2:00 p.m.
Stay Connected
For all things USF Baseball, be sure to download the USF Cougars app as well as follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Be the first to know what's going on inside USF Athletics by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter!
