CLERMONT, Fla. – Opening their spring break trip to the Sunshine State, University of Sioux Falls Softball split their doubleheader in the first two of an eight-game stretch. The Cougars (8-5) shook off six errors to defeat Grand Valley State, 8-7, then fell to No. 16 Southern Indiana, 9-0, in six innings.
 
Sioux Falls continues their road trip with games against California (Pa.) at 7 a.m. (CST) and Ashland (Ohio) at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 10.
 
Game one: Sioux Falls 8, Grand Valley State 7
After a great outing by starting pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw, freshman Emma Schifferle singled in Breanna Black for a walkoff 8-7 victory over Grand Valley State to open USF's trip to Clermont, Fla. The Cougars committed six errors in the field, but Hoshaw allowed just two earned runs in her 6.2 innings of work.
 
Returning from injury, Lindsey Mossman tallied three hits along with Schifferle and Jasmine Ragusi as the Cougars racked up 15 base knocks in the victory. Megan Peterson added two hits and Kenna Heath led the Cougars with two runs batted in, coming on a pinch-hit single in the third inning.
 
Grand Valley State (4-8) was quick to strike in the top of the first inning, scoring three runs, with one coming on the aid of a Cougar error. USF returned the favor in the bottom half, scoring three runs of their own to tie the game. Schifferle was driven in after one-out single preceded Sydney Nieveen's base hit and Hoshaw's drive to right field. Nieveen scored one batter later on Ragusi's base hit and Hoshaw scored on Peterson's two-out single to right field.
 
The Lakers broke the 3-3 tie with an unearned run in the second then added another unearned tally in the third after holding USF scoreless in their second at-bat. The Cougars took their first lead of the game in the third inning, scoring three runs on four hits.
 
Ragusi led off with a single up the middle then Emily Hove and Megan Peterson loaded the bases with consecutive singles. GVSU pitchers to try to halt the Cougar rally, but Heath capitalized on her pinch-hit at-bat with a single through the right side, scoring Ragusi and Hove. Adding the third run of the inning, Broussard drove in Peterson with a groundout to second.
 
Hoshaw shut out Grand Valley State in the fourth and fifth innings, allowing just one hit in each, setting up the Cougars to pad their lead in the bottom of the fifth. After getting hit by a pitch, Peterson was joined on the basepaths by Mossman and Schifferle, who reached on infield singles. Peterson then scored on a GVSU error with Nieveen forcing the defense into the miscue, giving USF a 7-5 lead.
 
GVSU was held scoreless for the third consecutive inning after Hoshaw avoided any damage from a one-out double. Ragusi added her third hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth, but the Cougars couldn't add any insurance runs. Capitalizing on errors again, Grand Valley State scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game before Breanna Black came in with a runner on third and secured the final out of the inning.
 
After escaping the previous inning unscathed, Black led off the bottom half with a walk. Mossman singled through the left side to move Black into scoring position and Schifferle stepped up with a single to left field, scoring Black to win the game, 8-7.
 
Game tow: No. 16 Southern Indiana 9, Sioux Falls 0, 6 innings
In their second game of the day, Sioux Falls was held to just two hits while No. 16 Southern Indiana tallied 13 base hits and defeated the Cougars, 9-0, in six innings. Lindsey Mossman and Sydney Nieveen recorded USF's two hits while Courtney Mathews was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs in three innings of work.
 
After scoreless innings by both teams to open the game, Southern Indiana broke open the game with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the third inning. Another scoreless inning prefaced Breanna Black coming in to pitch in the fourth inning and she shut out USI in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Southern Indiana scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-0 lead and despite Mossman's leadoff single in the top of the sixth, the Cougars couldn't break through with a run. The Screaming Eagles then used a three-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth inning to build their 9-0 lead and end the game after six innings.