By Noah Grant / Sports Reporter / Sioux Falls, S.D. 

-It was heartbreak on the diamond after the final out on Friday as the St. Cloud State baseball team saw their season come to an end after losing 16-11 to the University of Sioux Falls.  

It was the Huskies second loss in three days to the Cougars, and it was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish as the two combined for 27 runs, 28 hits, and five home runs. The lead would change hands five different times in the game.  

Sioux Falls would get the scoring started early, putting up a run just four batters into the bottom of the first on an Isaac Bonner RBI single.  

The Huskies would respond quickly, however, putting up six in the top of the second to give SCSU the lead. With two outs and the bases loaded, Eric Bello reached when his groundball was misplayed by USF shortstop Noah Christenson, bringing home the first run.  

This set the stage for Wyatt Tweet, who launched a grand slam to left field. It was Tweet’s fifth home run of the season and the Huskies second grand slam in as many days. Wilmis Castro also added an RBI double in the frame, bringing in Ethan Navratil.  

The Cougars would jump in front with six runs of their own across the second and third innings. Mitch Iliff, who scored the first run of the game for USF, drove in four of the six runs. Iliff hit a two-run single in the second and added a two-run double in the third.  

The game would remain 7-6 Sioux Falls until the fifth. It would take more two out magic for the Huskies, as a single and a pair of walks loaded the bases with two away. Ethan Krueger stepped up to pinch-hit, but before he could see a pitch Cougars starter Logan Anderson attempted to pickoff Taehyung Kim at second. His throw hit Kim’s helmet and went into center field, allowing the tying run to score.  

Just two pitches later, Krueger demolished a fastball, hitting it clear out of The Birdcage for a three-run homer. It was Krueger’s third pinch-hit home run of the season, and it gave SCSU a 10-7 lead.  

That lead would last exactly one inning, as Sioux Falls would go to work in the bottom of the sixth. After a leadoff single, Iliff torched an RBI double into the left-centerfield gap. It was Iliff’s fourth hit of the game, and the 14^th hit in 23 at-bats against the Huskies this season.  

After a walk and an error filled the bases, Ben Serie promptly unloaded them with a grand slam of his own to deep left-center field. After two quick outs followed, Noah Christenson launched a towering fly ball to right-center. It bounced off the top of the wall and rolled away from Huskies centerfielder Brayden Jacobson, allowing Christenson to circle the bases for an inside-the-park home run.  

The Huskies would get one back in the top of the seventh on an RBI single from Reid Tigges, but a three-run homer from Jaxon Haase in the bottom half would put the game out of reach. It was Haase’s fourth homer of the tournament, and his third against the Huskies.  

USF would turn to Jake Ammann, who started game one against the Huskies, for the final three outs and he pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to seal the wild win for the Cougars.  

With the loss, the St. Cloud State season comes to a close, as they finish with a final record of 28-26, and 24-20 in conference play.