Article by Noah Grant. Photo by the St. Cloud State Athletic Department.
The St. Cloud State Huskies fell to the University of Sioux Falls in the final game of the four game conference series 11-5. The Cougars were able to string together quality at bats and scored in six different innings in the victory.
Sioux Falls was also able to take advantage of several mistakes by the St. Cloud defense, as the Huskies committed four errors and issued four walks in the game. Two of the defensive misplays came in the third, allowing Sioux Falls to score four times and take a 5-2 lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish.
One game removed from committing three costly errors themselves, the Cougars played nine innings of clean baseball, including cutting down two Huskies runners at home plate. Liam Moreno was thrown out at the dish on the second at bat of the game, trying to score from first on a Hayden Konkol double.
In the second, Blaine Guthrie tried to come home from third on a grounder to Cougars third baseman Isaac Bonner. Guthrie was caught in a rundown and subsequently tagged out.
The offense was strong for both teams, as all nine Huskies starters and eight Cougars players recorded at least one hit. Both teams totaled 13 hits in the game.
Husky’s Ethan Navratil extended his hitting streak to seven games with a three-hit performance, recording two singles and an RBI double. Hayden Konkol also picked up a pair of hits in the game, doubling in the first and hitting a solo homer in the seventh.
Even with the quantity of hits, the Huskies struggled to drive runners in. St. Cloud went just 3-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine players on base. The biggest blow came in the third when Eric Bello bounced into a 5-2-3 double play to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.
For Sioux Falls, the middle of the order came through in a big way. Batters 2-5 in the Cougars lineup combined for eight hits and seven runs scored.
Dominic Vogel knocked two singles and scored both times he was on base. He leads the team in runs scored with 27.
Mitch Iliff launched a wind-assisted home run to left field to open the scoring in the bottom of the first. The home run was Iliff’s fifth of the season, leading the Cougars. He also singled and doubled in the game, scoring three runs and finishing a triple shy of the cycle.
Finally, Jackson Haase and Isaac Bonner both doubled and drove in a pair. Bonner also singled in the game and came around to score a run.
With the loss, the Huskies dropped to 7-5 in conference play. They are scheduled to play their home opener on Friday, March 28 against Minnesota State at Joe Faber Field. The four game series against the Mavericks is also the start of a 10 game home stand for the Huskies, after playing their first 22 games on the road to open the season.
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