SIOUX FALLS – Continuing their conference-opening six-game road trip, University of Sioux Falls Softball heads east for doubleheaders against Upper Iowa and Winona State this weekend. The Cougars (14-13, 1-1 NSIC) take on UIU first, facing the Peacocks (8-16, 0-2 NSIC) on Saturday, April 1 beginning at 1 p.m. Completing their trip, USF heads to Winona State (21-6, 2-0 NSIC) for a twinbill on Sunday, April 2 at 1 p.m.  The Cougars opened their 30-game NSIC schedule, splitting a doubleheader on Tuesday at Southwest Minnesota State.
 
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Hoshaw leads Cougars to split in NSIC opener
With her third career complete-game shutout, Kerrigan Hoshaw led Sioux Falls to a doubleheader split at Southwest Minnesota State in both teams' NSIC openers. Hoshaw scattered seven hits and struck out three as Emma Schifferle and Jasmine Ragusi's third-inning extra-base hits were enough for the Cougars to plate three runs for a 3-0 victory. In game two, USF's bats were stifled as they mustered just five hits in the 3-1 loss. Britni Broussard led the Cougars with two hits, including her second double of the season, but it wasn't enough for USF to complete the sweep.
 
Series History: USF tied 4-4 with Upper Iowa
With a split doubleheader last season, Sioux Falls and Upper Iowa have played to a 4-4 series tie since the Cougars and Peacocks began regular competition in 2013, when USF joined the NSIC. Upper Iowa swept the first series in Fayette, Iowa in 2013 and USF responded with a commanding sweep at home the following year. After each team swept their home series, USF and Upper Iowa split the next two series. Last season, USF dropped a 4-0 decision in the first game before the meat of USF's lineup drove in five runs and Kerrigan Hoshaw surrendered just one run in a 6-1 victory. USF is 1-3 on the road after winning the second leg of their doubleheader in 2015.
 
Series History: Winona State leads 9-1
One of the perennial powers in the NSIC, Winona State owns a 9-1 edge over USF since they began play when the Cougars joined the NSIC in 2013. Before USF earned their first win over WSU last season, the Warriors won eight straight, including three straight series sweeps during NSIC play. After a heartbreaking defeat in the 2015 NSIC Tournament, which the Warriors went on to win, USF trailed Winona State 8-0 in the series. That changed last year when Breanna Black threw a two-hit shutout and Alyson Netty hit a sixth-inning solo homerun for a 1-0 win over the Warriors. In road games, USF is 0-4 against Winona State, heading back for the first time since 2015.
 
How USF stacks up in the NSIC

• USF ranks 11th in the NSIC with a .280 batting average and ninth with a 3.40 earned run average
• With 41 doubles, USF ranks third in the league and they are tied for fourth with 15 homeruns this year
• Led by Breanna Black's four saves, USF is tied for first in the NSIC with five total saves
• Individually, Kenna Heath is seventh in the league with a .426 average and Kerrigan Hoshaw is seventh with a .685 slugging percentage
• Jasmine Ragusi's nine doubles are tied for third in the league and Emma Schifferle's 30 total hits are 10th
• Hoshaw's six homeruns are tied for second in the NSIC
• Breanna Black's four saves are tied for first in the NSIC and her 14 games finished are tops in the league