SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Sioux Falls baseball team kept its hot stretch rolling Wednesday, sweeping Southwest Minnesota State in dramatic fashion with a 6-2 win in game one and a 12-11 comeback victory in game two at Sioux Falls Stadium.

The day featured a little bit of everything for the Cougars, from clean pitching and timely power in the opener to late-inning resilience in the nightcap. Sioux Falls moved above .500 at 17-15 overall by pounding out 22 hits and scoring 18 runs across the doubleheader, while getting another huge day from Mitch Iliff. The junior slugger homered four times and drove in eight runs on the day, helping power the Cougars past a Mustang team that pushed back hard in both games.

USF set the tone early in game one behind Carter Sehr and Brady Baur, then showed its fight in game two after letting a seven-run lead slip away. After Southwest Minnesota State surged in front 11-8 in the nightcap, the Cougars answered with four runs over the final two innings, capped by Iliff's go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth. As Grant Hieb noted afterward, it was a day that showed Sioux Falls can win both low-scoring games and wild slugfests.

Final Score(s):

• Game one: Sioux Falls 6, Southwest Minnesota State 2
• Game two: Sioux Falls 12, Southwest Minnesota State 11

Game One – How It Happened

Sioux Falls wasted no time grabbing control of the opener. Dominic Vogel singled to start the first, William Edwards followed with a hit, and after Edwards swiped second, Iliff launched a three-run homer to right-center to give the Cougars an immediate 3-0 lead.

The Cougars added another run in the second when Nolan Drossel walked, advanced to third on a bunt single and wild pitch, then scored on Iliff's sacrifice fly. That early cushion proved important behind a strong outing from Carter Sehr, who kept the Mustangs off balance for six innings.

Southwest Minnesota State finally broke through in the fourth on an RBI sacrifice fly, then pulled within 4-2 in the sixth on Connor Davis' RBI single after Jared Cortez opened the inning with a double. But Sioux Falls answered right back in the bottom half. Drew Miller singled, and two batters later Casey Sehr crushed a two-run homer to left to stretch the lead back to four at 6-2.

From there, Baur closed the door. The left-hander worked the seventh, striking out a pair to lock down the game and finish off a crisp Cougar win.

Game One – On the Mound

• Starting pitcher: Carter Sehr — 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Decision: Win — Carter Sehr (1-1)
• Bullpen impact: Baur tossed a scoreless seventh, allowing no hits and striking out two
• Notable pitching moments: Sehr scattered five hits and worked efficiently through six innings, while the Cougar staff did not allow an extra-base hit after the sixth inning

Game One – At the Plate

• Multi-hit games: Vogel (3-for-3), Miller (3-for-3)
• Extra-base hits: Iliff (home run), Sehr (home run)
• RBIs: Iliff (4), Sehr (2)
• Clutch situations: Iliff's first-inning three-run homer set the tone, and his sacrifice fly in the second extended the early edge
• Team totals: 9 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks, 3 left on base

Game Two – How It Happened

The second game turned into a back-and-forth offensive battle, but Sioux Falls again found the biggest swings late.

Southwest Minnesota State scored twice in the first and twice more in the second to jump in front 4-0, but the Cougars responded with a huge bottom of the second. After Brady Schafer reached on an error, Justin Johnson doubled home the first run, Casey Sehr singled, and Cullen Verville added an RBI single. A balk brought home another run before Edwards blasted a three-run homer to left. Iliff followed immediately with a solo shot to right-center, and just like that, Sioux Falls had turned a four-run deficit into a 7-4 lead.

The Mustangs chipped away with a run in the fourth, but USF added another in the bottom half when Drossel scored on a throwing error. Southwest Minnesota State then flipped the game in the fifth. After a leadoff single and double, Connor Davis ripped a three-run double and Josh Berreth followed with a two-run homer, putting the Mustangs back in front 11-8.

That could have been the turning point, but Sioux Falls kept coming. Iliff started the seventh with a solo homer, then after Miller singled and Casey Sehr was hit by a pitch, Verville reached on an error that brought in another run to make it 11-10.

In the eighth, Edwards singled with one out, and Iliff stepped in again. He hammered a two-run homer to left, his third long ball of the game, flipping the score back in the Cougars' favor at 12-11. Eli Larson then finished the final three innings without allowing a run, retiring all nine batters he faced to secure the sweep.

Game Two – On the Mound

• Starting pitcher: Jake Pruchniak — 1.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Decision: Win — Eli Larson (1-1)
• Bullpen impact: Larson was outstanding in relief, throwing the final 3.0 scoreless innings and striking out three while allowing no hits
• Notable pitching moments: Tyler Maeyaert bridged the middle innings, Jack Richeson helped limit damage after the fifth-inning rally, and Larson slammed the door after Iliff's go-ahead blast

Game Two – At the Plate

• Multi-hit games: Edwards (2), Iliff (3), Miller (2), Johnson (2), Drossel (2)
• Extra-base hits: Edwards (home run), Iliff (three home runs), Johnson (double)
• RBIs: Iliff (4), Edwards (3), Johnson (1), Verville (1)
• Clutch situations: The Cougars erased a 4-0 deficit, then rallied from down 11-8 with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth
• Team totals: 13 hits, 12 runs, 1 walk, 6 left on base

Key Cougars (Day Standouts)

• Mitch Iliff — Went 4-for-6 with four home runs and eight RBIs across the doubleheader, including the game-winning two-run homer in game two.
• Drew Miller — Collected five hits on the day, scoring twice in game two and helping spark both Cougar lineups.
• William Edwards — Reached base consistently and drove in five runs, including a three-run homer in the second game.
• Casey Sehr — Earned the game one win in the circle and added a two-run homer in the opener while also contributing in game two.
• Eli Larson — Delivered three scoreless innings in relief in game two, giving the offense time to complete the comeback.
• Brady Baur — Closed out game one with a clean seventh inning and two strikeouts to secure the save.

Coach's Corner

"Two good wins today. I was glad to see our guys come back in the second one and pull it out. Larson gave us a chance out of the 'pen with three straight zeros to let our offense make the comeback. What can I say about Mitch? He's been red-hot lately and had some big swings for us today. The three-run homer in the first inning of the first game got us an early lead, and then he hit a big one late in the second game. Fun to watch, that's for sure. Overall, I'm just glad to see my guys battling 'til the last out and picking each other up. You've got to be able to win 2-1 games and high-scoring ones. Glad to see us get over .500, now we just have to keep it going."
– Head Coach Grant Hieb

Up Next

The Cougars head back on the road for NSIC play this weekend in Crookston, Minnesota, where they will face Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12. The series opens with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at UMC Baseball Field.

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