BRANDON, S.D. – The University of Sioux Falls broke open a one-run game in the fifth inning scoring 11 runs on eight hits to earn a 15-3 victory over Southwest Minnesota State University in NSIC baseball on Sunday afternoon.
The victory gave USF a series victory after the teams split a doubleheader on Saturday. The Cougars improve to 13-10 overall, 5-3 NSIC, while SMSU drops to 8-10 overall, 1-5 NSIC.
USF collected 12 hits and took advantage of seven walks, two hit by pitches and eight wild pitches by SMSU pitching.
SMSU, which led 2-0 after two innings, closed the game with eight hits with
Chase McDaniel,
Keenan Wenzel and
Isaac Nett each finishing with two hits, while
Owen Latendresse and Jaxson Haase each had one hit.
Theo Giedd (0-2) made the start on the mound for SMSU and lasted three-plus innings while allowing four runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in suffering in the loss in his second career start.
The Mustangs left two runners on base in the first but were able to advantage of a two-out Cougar error in the second to take an early lead. With two outs,
Kip Gronholz reached second on a dropped fly ball and was followed by a two-run homer by Wenzel. It was Wenzel's first home run of the season and the second of his career.
SMSU maintained the 2-0 lead into the third inning before USF used a lead-off home run to cut the deficit to 2-1. Following a strikeout and a ground out, USF took advantage of a two-out walk, a double, a hit by pitch, a wild pitch and an infield single to take a 3-2 lead.
The USF lead moved to 4-2 in the fourth following a lead-off home run to chase Giedd and summoned
Hayden Molva into the game, who retired all three batters he faced in the frame.
SMSU cut into the deficit in fifth as McDaniel singled and moved to second on a hit by pitch to Haase. Following a pair of fly outs, Lantendresse came through with a clutch RBI double to make the score 4-3.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, the bottom of the fifth was disastrous as the Cougars exploded for its game-defining inning. The inning featured eight hits, five wild pitches, two walks and one hit by pitch.
SMSU will continue road action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Winona State. SMSU will open its home season next Saturday and Sunday with a three-game series versus Concordia-St. Paul.
