MINOT, N.D. – The University of Sioux Falls Baseball team battled through two tightly contested games on Friday afternoon at Corbett Field, but Minot State used late-inning swings in both contests to take the doubleheader. The Beavers walked off game one in eight innings, 4-3, before holding off a furious USF comeback in game two, 11-10.
The Cougars held leads in both games and finished the day with 17 hits, including a four-RBI grand slam from Casey Sehr in game two and a strong multi-hit effort from William Edwards across the doubleheader. USF also received a quality start from Brady Baur in game one, but Minot State answered in key moments to claim both games.
Final Scores
Game One: Minot State 4, Sioux Falls 3 (8 inn.)
Game Two: Minot State 11, Sioux Falls 10
Game One – How It Happened
USF wasted little time getting on the board in the opener. Dominic Vogel opened the game with a double to center before William Edwards singled to right, putting runners on the corners. Mitch Iliff lifted a sacrifice fly to left, bringing Vogel home and giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars added another run in the third when Nolan Drossel singled to center, moved into scoring position on a Vogel sacrifice bunt and came home on an Edwards groundout that turned into a throwing error. Minot State broke through in the fourth, using back-to-back singles ahead of a three-run home run to take a 3-2 lead.
Sioux Falls answered immediately in the fifth. Drossel singled, stole second and came around on Edwards' RBI single to left, evening the game at 3-3. From there, the game settled into a late pitcher's duel. Brady Baur worked through five innings before Zach Peta came on and kept the Beavers quiet through the sixth and seventh.
The Cougars had a chance in the eighth after Edwards walked and Iliff was hit by a pitch, but USF could not bring the go-ahead run across. Minot State took advantage in the bottom half, putting the winning run on before loading the bases and walking it off on Wyatt Toth's RBI single.
Game One – On the Mound
- Starting pitcher: Brady Baur threw 5.0 innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs and no walks while striking out six.
- Decision: Zach Peta took the loss, moving to 2-1.
- Bullpen impact: Peta worked 2.1 innings and struck out two, holding Minot State scoreless in the sixth and seventh before the unearned winning run crossed in the eighth.
- Notable pitching moments: Baur struck out six and did not issue a walk, while Peta erased a sixth-inning base runner with a caught stealing to keep the game tied.
Game One – At the Plate
- Multi-hit games: William Edwards went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while Nolan Drossel went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
- Extra-base hits: Dominic Vogel doubled to open the game.
- RBIs: Edwards and Iliff each drove in a run.
- Clutch situations: Edwards delivered the game-tying RBI single in the fifth.
- Team totals: USF finished with three runs on five hits, two walks, two hit batters and six left on base.
Game Two – How It Happened
The Cougars again struck first in game two, as Vogel doubled to left and Iliff launched his 16th home run of the year to give USF an early 2-0 advantage. Minot State answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs to tie the game, then used a six-run third inning to build an 8-2 lead.
USF began to chip away in the fourth when Drew Miller was hit by a pitch, Jackson Yeager walked and Drossel singled home a run to make it 8-3. The biggest swing of the day came in the fifth. Edwards walked, Brady Schafer singled and Miller followed with an RBI single. Yeager added another RBI single, then Verville was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Sehr. The Cougar third baseman delivered, blasting a grand slam to push USF in front, 9-8.
Minot State answered right back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs, including a two-run home run, to retake the lead at 11-9. USF kept battling in the sixth, as Schafer doubled and Yeager drove him in with a single to trim the deficit to one.
The Cougars brought the tying run to second in the seventh after Vogel walked and Edwards singled to left, but Minot State escaped the jam to secure the one-run win.
Game Two – On the Mound
- Starting pitcher: Logan Anderson threw 3.0 innings, allowing six hits, eight earned runs and three walks while striking out one.
- Decision: Tyler Maeyaert took the loss, moving to 1-1.
- Bullpen impact: Maeyaert worked 2.0 innings with two strikeouts, while Eli Larson closed the game with a scoreless sixth inning and one strikeout.
- Notable pitching moments: Larson retired the Beavers in order in the sixth to keep the Cougars within one heading into their final at-bat.
Game Two – At the Plate
- Multi-hit games: Brady Schafer, Drew Miller, Jackson Yeager and Nolan Drossel each recorded two hits.
- Extra-base hits: Vogel and Schafer doubled, while Iliff and Sehr each homered.
- RBIs: Sehr drove in four, Yeager added two, Iliff drove in two and Miller and Drossel each added one.
- Clutch situations: Sehr's fifth-inning grand slam turned a five-run deficit into a 9-8 USF lead.
- Team totals: USF scored 10 runs on 12 hits, drew five walks, was hit by three pitches and left eight runners on base.
Key Cougars
- William Edwards: Finished the day with three hits, two walks and an RBI.
- Nolan Drossel: Scored twice in game one and added two hits with an RBI in game two.
- Casey Sehr: Delivered the biggest swing of game two with a go-ahead grand slam.
- Mitch Iliff: Drove in a run in game one and added a two-run homer in game two.
- Jackson Yeager: Went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in game two.
- Brady Baur: Gave USF a strong start in game one with six strikeouts and no walks.
Coach's Corner
"A couple of tough losses today. Baur threw well but made a costly mistake on the 0-2 fastball that Williamson hit for a homerun to right field. Mistakes like that kill you in a tight ballgame. Was glad to see my guys battle back & tie it up & force extras. They made one more play than us & that's all it takes in a tight ballgame…Anderson did a good job early in game 2 on the mound for us but lost his command in the 3rd inning & they were able to hang a 6-spot on us. But again, we battled back & tied it up. Sehr had a big swing for the grand slam to get us back in it. But we give the lead back to them on an inside the park 2-run homerun on a ball that both Miller & Iliff lay out for & it gets away from them to allow him to score. I was glad to see my guys battling until the end. There's going to be postseason games where you fall down early & have to battle back. Tomorrow's a big one for us. Need to bounce back & play well before in our last regular season game."
– Head Coach Grant Hieb
Up Next
The Cougars close the regular season tomorrow with the series finale against Minot State on Sunday, May 2 at 12 p.m. at Corbett Field. After that, USF will turn its attention to the NSIC Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. Fans can follow USF Baseball social media and the NSIC website at northern sun dot org for tournament updates.
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