SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -It was a good day for both the Augustana baseball team at Ronken Field and the USF Cougars at Sioux Falls Stadium with each getting a sweep.
AUGUSTANA RECAP
The Augustana baseball team locked up the No. 2 seed in the NSIC Tournament after sweeping a pair of games against Northern State on Tuesday afternoon at Ronken Field.
The wins move Augustana to 33-14 overall and 27-10 in the NSIC while Northern State falls to 13-31, 9-28.
Game 1: Augustana 8, Northern State 1
Trevor Winterstein had another multi-hit game, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored and a double with an RBI. Kobe Eikmeier had two hits while Carter Heinsch and Ragan Pinnow each had a home run and two RBI.
Ryan Clementi started the bullpen game, allowing an earned run on one hit in three innings while striking out one. Joel Van De Stroet and Aidan Torpey combined for two scoreless frames while Tom Sun struck out a pair in two innings.
Troy Berg led off the second inning with an infield single before a one-out blast from Pinnow opened the scoring. Lunquist reset the inning with a walk before stealing second and Eikmeier singled to center to drive him home and make it 3-0.
The Wolves scored a run in the third inning to get within 3-1. In the fifth inning, Winterstein singled to lead off and Heinsch lifted a towering fly ball to left, making it over the fence through the wind to add onto the AU lead.
Hines followed the home run up with a double and moved to third on a Jason Axelberg groundout. Troy Berg walked on a wild pitch that allowed Hines to cross the plate and put the Vikings ahead 6-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Eikmeier singled and scored on a Winterstein double. After a pitching change, Winterstein stole third and scored on an Axelberg sac fly to bring the game to its final score.
Game 2: Augustana 8, Northern State 5
Four Vikings had a pair of hits in game two, led by two hits and two RBI from Jason Axelberg. Ragan Pinnow had two hits with a pair of runs scored while Clementi and Joe Kolbeck had two hits each.
In the sixth inning, Jack Hines recorded his 220th career RBI, passing Jordan Barth on the program’s all-time list.
Drew Ball moved to 2-0 with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts to open the game. Jadon Bast and Adam Diedrich followed with scoreless frames. Ethan Hoffman allowed a pair of runs, one earned, in an inning, Jack Sutton gave up three runs, two earned, while recording an out and Harry Blum earned his fourth save of the season while facing nine batters in 2 2/3 innings.
To lead off the second inning, Axelberg sent a blast to dead centerfield to open the scoring. Pinnow followed with a double on the next pitch and after a hit, Lind had a double of his own to make it 2-0 AU.
In the bottom of the fourth, Pinnow and Clementi each singled and stole to reach scoring position. Lind drew a four-pitch walk to lead the bases and Siegel started a string of three straight RBI singles. A Heinsch sac fly capped the scoring, putting the Vikings in front 6-0.
Two runs in the top of the sixth inning put the Wolves on the board. The Vikings countered with a Hines sac fly and Axelberg RBI single brought the Viking lead back to six at 8-2.
Northern State continued its rally with three runs in the top of the seventh inning to get within 8-5. Hines added another sac fly in the eighth inning and Nate Soelter closed the scoring with a sac bunt to cap the victory.
Augustana will end the regular season this weekend, taking on Minot State in Minot, N.D., for a three-game set.
USF RECAP
On a sunlit afternoon at Sioux Falls Stadium, the Cougars (27-25, 23-14 NSIC) carved out a defining moment in their season, sweeping the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (23-21, 18-19 NSIC) in a doubleheader with 10-8 and 8-5 victories. Jaxon Haase stood at the heart of the story, his bat cracking three home runs across the two games, including a pivotal three-RBI blast in Game 1, propelling the Cougars to sole possession of third place in the NSIC with three games left before the postseason.
Game 1 Recap: Sioux Falls 10, Southwest Minnesota 8
Southwest Minnesota State struck first in the opening inning, as Evan Behn’s single up the middle, coupled with a throwing error, sent Levi Lampert and Owen Latendresse racing home for a 2-0 lead. The Cougars, undeterred, answered swiftly. Mitch Iliff drew a walk, Ben Serie singled, and Haase stepped to the plate. With one swing, his three-run homer soared over the left-field wall, flipping the score to 3-2 and igniting the home crowd.
The second inning saw Sioux Falls widen the gap. Jackson Yeager walked, Noah Christenson singled, and Nolan Drossel laid down a bunt single, loading the bases. Iliff’s sharp single drove in Christenson and Yeager, and Isaac Bonner followed with a two-RBI single, scoring Iliff and Drossel to make it 7-2. The Mustangs clawed back in the fourth, with Latendresse’s fielder’s choice, narrowing it to 7-3.
The Cougars’ bats reignited in the sixth. Christenson was hit by a pitch, and Drossel singled. Dominic Vogel’s single scored Christenson, Serie’s fielder’s choice brought Drossel home, and Bonner reached on a fielder’s choice, advancing to second on a throwing error, allowing Vogel to score and pushing the lead to 10-3. The Mustangs mounted a furious seventh-inning rally, starting with Bantam’s RBI double. Behn’s single scored Bantam, Wheeler’s sacrifice fly plated Cortez, and Tyler Froland’s two-RBI double cut the gap to 10-8. But Jace Coleman took the mound, striking out one in a tense 0.1 innings to secure his fourth save, preserving the Cougars’ victory.
Brady Baur earned the win (3-3), pitching 4.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Drossel led the offense, going 3-for-3 with two runs and a triple, while Haase’s 2-for-4 day included three RBIs.
Key Hitters:
- Nolan Drossel: 3-for-3, 2 runs, 1 3B
- Jaxon Haase: 2-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 run, 1 HR
Key Pitchers:
- Brady Baur: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K (Win)
- Jace Coleman: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (Save)
Game 2 Recap: Sioux Falls 8, Southwest Minnesota 5
As the sun dipped lower, the Cougars carried their momentum into Game 2. The Mustangs drew first blood in the second. Behn singled, Nathan Wheeler was hit by a pitch, and a walk to Woitalla loaded the bases. Levi Lampert’s walk forced in Behn, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead. Sioux Falls stayed quiet until the third, when Noah Christenson changed the game’s tone. His solo homer to left field tied it at 1-1. Drossel reached on a fielding error, and Iliff walked. Isaac Bonner then ripped a triple to right-center, scoring Iliff and Drossel. Haase, ever the catalyst, crushed a two-run homer, plating Bonner and vaulting the Cougars to a 5-1 lead.
Haase wasn’t done. In the fifth, he launched another solo homer to left, extending the lead to 6-1. The sixth brought more, as Drossel singled, stole second, and scored on Iliff’s single to center, making it 7-1. The Mustangs stirred in the eighth, with Froland’s groundout scoring Cortez and Hammrich’s sacrifice fly bringing in Behn, trimming the score to 7-3. Sioux Falls answered in the eighth when Drossel reached on an error and scored on Iliff’s groundout, pushing it to 8-3.
The Mustangs made a final push in the ninth. Latendresse doubled, and Bantam’s single scored him. Wheeler’s single drove in Bantam, closing it to 8-5. With runners on, Ben Serie, a do-it-all utility man, stepped to the mound. He induced a fly out in foul territory, stranding the tying run and earning his second save in a dramatic 0.1 innings, sealing the 8-5 win.
Dylan Immel earned the win (4-3), pitching 5.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts. Haase led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two homers, while Christenson added a 2-for-4 day with a homer.
Key Hitters:
- Jaxon Haase: 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 2 HR
- Noah Christenson: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 HR
Key Pitchers:
- Dylan Immel: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K (Win)
- Ben Serie: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (Save)
Up Next
The Cougars host the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears at Sioux Falls Stadium for a doubleheader on Friday, May 2, 2025, starting at 1:30 p.m., followed by a final game regular season game on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 12:00 p.m., which will also serve as Senior Day, as they aim to solidify their NSIC Tournament position.
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