ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Beginning their final nonconference tournament, University of Sioux Falls Softball suffered two defeats on the first day of the Hy-Vee Classic. The Cougars dropped a shootout, 11-8, to Missouri Southern State in their first game before falling to host and 18th-ranked Missouri Western, 12-4, in six innings. Sioux Falls continues their six-game road trip with games against Central Missouri and Fort Hays State at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. tomorrow, March 18.
 
Missouri Southern 11, Sioux Falls 8
Sioux Falls scored all eight of their runs in the third and fourth innings, but a nine-run second by Missouri Southern was all they needed to hand USF an 11-8 loss to open the tournament. Breanna Black hit a three-run double to fuel USF's six third-inning runs while Emma Schifferle recorded two hits and a pair of runs batted in.
 
The Cougars went down in order in the first two innings before the Lions exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the second frame. Missouri Southern totaled eight hits, including a double and homerun to provide their big inning, but USF began to claw back in their next trip to the plate.
 
Megan Peterson and Britni Broussard led off with singles, and Peterson scored on an error after Broussard's single. After a sacrifice bunt by Lindsey Mossman, Schifferle drove in her first run with a double to left centerfield, cutting the Cougars' deficit to 9-2.
 
Coming on in relief during the second inning, Black bounced back from MSSU's big second inning to toss a shutout third, setting up the Cougars to continue their comeback. The first three Cougars reached to start the fourth inning, as Kenna Heath singled following Jasmine Ragusi's walk then Emily Hove drove in pinch-runner Miranda White for the first of six runs in the inning.
 
Two batters later, Broussard singled in Heath, forcing the Lions into a pitching change. Despite the new hurler, the Cougars continued their rally, capitalizing on an MSSU error. Schifferle reached on a miscue by the Missouri Southern third baseman to plate another run, then Black doubled to clear the bases, scoring three more for the Cougars. Ragusi singled, but the USF rally was stopped at six runs and they trailed MSSU, 9-8, heading to the bottom of the fourth.
 
Black allowed just one hit in the next two MSSU at-bats, but the Cougars couldn't erase their one-run deficit. Schifferle singled with one out in the sixth and Ashley Meyer worked a walk, but USF failed to plate one more, stranding both runners.
 
Missouri Southern then added to their lead with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning, logging four hits to increase their cushion to three runs, 11-8, through six innings. In their final at-bat, Peterson tried to extend the game with a two-out single, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars suffered the three-run loss.
 
No. 18 Missouri Western 12, Sioux Falls 4 (6 inn.)
Shaking off an early deficit, Kerrigan Hoshaw homered to pull Sioux Falls within one run of no. 18 Missouri Western, but the Griffons responded with eight runs in the sixth inning, ending the game in the sixth inning, 12-4. Emma Schifferle logged three hits and Hoshaw led USF with three RBI on her homerun.
 
The Cougars went scoreless in the first inning and Missouri Western pounced on USF with five runs in the bottom half, using a pair of extra-base hits to take a 5-0 lead. Sioux Falls got one back in the top of the second, manufacturing it after Emily Hove led off with a single. Hove was replaced by Brittany Hoffmann on a fielder's choice and Britni Broussard followed with a single down the leftfield line. Schifferle added her second hit of the game, scoring Hoffmann from second to cut the Griffon lead to four.
 
USF Starting pitcher Courtney Mathews settled in after her rocky first inning, holding MWSU scoreless over the next four frames. Closing in on Missouri Western's lead, Kenna Heath and Breanna Black singled to open the fifth inning and after a fielder's choice, Kerrigan Hoshaw pinch hit for USF. Cutting their deficit to one, Hoshaw hit her fifth homerun of the season and USF trailed the Griffons, 5-4, heading to the bottom of the fifth.
 
Black replaced Mathews in the circle and threw a perfect fifth inning. Sydney Nieveen led off the sixth with a double, but USF couldn't score her to tie the game. Missouri Western then broke out for another big inning and used six hits, including three extra-base knocks to score seven runs and hand the Cougars a 12-4 loss.