Clutch hitting, outstanding relief earn SCSU series win over Sioux Falls

Sunday, April 11

St. Cloud, MN

2:00 p.m.

St. Cloud State

9-10, 0

University of Sioux Falls (S.D.)

8-13, 0

Sioux Falls

St. Cloud State

True freshman Luke Tupy earned his first collegiate saves in the Huskies' win

Photo by: Tom Nelson

Clutch hitting, outstanding relief earn SCSU series win over Sioux Falls

4/11/2021 7:52:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

St. Cloud State (10-9, 8-6 NSIC) received 5.0 scoreless innings from their bullpen and picked up clutch hits when they needed them most to defeat Sioux Falls (8-13, 4-13 NSIC) by a 5-3 score in Sunday's series finale. The two-games-to-one weekend series victory is the Huskies' first such win in 2021.

Tommy Thompson made a spot start for SCSU and despite not possessing his best stuff managed to provide the Huskies with a gutsy 4.0 innings of three-hit, three-walk baseball with a pair of strikeouts while allowing three earned.

Down 1-0 after one-and-a-half, Caleb Marquez (0-for-3, BB, R) and Matt Quade (0-for-3, BB) opened the second by drawing back-to-back walks. Tyler Schiller (1-for-3, HBP, 2 R) dropped down a gorgeous bunt single down the third base line to load the bases for Lenny Walker (1-for-2, RBI, SF). The Huskies' leftfielder lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Marquez and moving Quade to third. Paul Steffensen (0-for-2, R, RBI, SF) poked a ground ball back to the mound, and the Cougars' pitcher made a heady play to catch Quade off third, presenting Parker Savard (2-for-3, RBI) with runners on first and third with two out. Savard came through with a go-ahead RBI single through the right side, plating Schiller, then Nett stretched the brand-new lead to two with an RBI single to center.

USF tied the game at three in the top of the fourth. Schiller was hit by a pitch to lead off the home half, then advanced to third on a Walker single that saw the latter thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double. Steffensen delivered a sac fly to center, putting the Huskies back in front 4-3.

Tate Wallat (1-for-4, R, HR, RBI) provided SCSU with insurance in the fifth, belting a 2-0 offering out to right for his third homer of the season and second of the series.

Jack Habeck was the first Huskies reliever to come out of the pen, earning his fifth win of the season by retiring each of the five batters he faced with two punchouts. Nick Brauns recorded three outs following Habeck to earn his first hold of 2021, scattering a hit and a walk while striking out one. True freshman Luke Tupy notched his first collegiate save, covering the final 2.1 innings. Tupy did not allow a hit and pitched around three walks, punching out one batter.

The stakes were raised in the seventh as back-to-back baserunners reached to lead off the inning against Brauns, but the veteran righthander came back to record a quick pair of outs on a sacrifice bunt and an electrifying strikeout. Tupy entered and walked USF's leadoff hitter to load the bases, then struck out the next batter on three pitches to escape the jam.

St. Cloud States conclude its homestand with a two-game series against Upper Iowa scheduled for Wednesday at Joe Faber Field. First pitch of game one will be at 1:30 p.m. CST with game two to follow. The series will be broadcast on the NSIC Network with Live Stats provided by SCSU.