BISMARCK, N.D. – Bouncing back with two wins on Saturday, University of Sioux Falls Softball swept University of Mary to close out their four-game road trip to North Dakota.  Sydney Niveen and Ashley Meyer drove in two runs apiece and Breanna Black came in for a save in USF's 6-5 game-one win. The Cougars (23-20, 10-8 NSIC) tallied 16 hits with six hitters recording two or more as USF completed the sweep with an 8-6 victory in game two. Sioux Falls returns home to host Concordia-St. Paul in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 18 at 2 p.m.
 
Sioux Falls 6, U-Mary 5
With five runs in the sixth inning, Sioux Falls added enough cushion to hold off University of Mary's response for a 6-5 victory. Sydney Nieveen and Ashley Meyer both finished with one hit, but drove in two runs each as part of USF's sixth-inning rally. Breanna Black came on in relief in the sixth inning, stopping U-Mary's response and earned the save to preserve starting pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw's win.
 
The Cougars struck first with a run in their first at-bat, manufacturing a run off Emma Schifferle's leadoff single. After advancing to second on a groundout, Schifferle scored on Jasmine Ragusi's single through the right side. Hoshaw was dealing to start the game, recording four consecutive shutout innings without allowing a hit and the Cougars would add to their lead in the top of the fifth.
 
USF took advantage of extra at-bats from three UM errors, scoring five runs on just two hits. Loading the bases with no outs, Meyer drove in two runs on a pinch-hit single up the middle. Britni Broussard drove in the third run in U-Mary error and Nieveen drove in two more with a deep fly ball that was misplayed by the UM right fielder.
 
The Cougars needed all five runs of cushion as the Marauders finally broke through to Hoshaw. After four runs, Black came on in relief and allowed just one of Hoshaw's runners to score, keeping the Cougars up by one run, 6-5, entering the seventh inning.
 
Black singled to lead off, but USF couldn't add on to their lead. No additional runs were needed for Black as she faced four batters and tossed a shutout seventh inning, earning the save in USF's 6-5 win.
 
Sioux Falls 8, U-Mary 6
The Cougars didn't need any help from U-Mary's defense as they broke out for 16 hits in shootout, winning game two 8-6. Sydney Nieveen and Kenna Heath led USF's offense with three hits each, but it was a balanced attack in which eight different Cougars recorded a hit and six had multi-hit games. Courtney Mathews earned the win in the circle for USF, weathering the Marauder attack for five innings while Breanna Black recorded her second save of the day, throwing two shutout innings to close the game.
 
USF scored one in the first inning, using Nieveen and Kerrigan Hoshaw hits to take a brief 1-0 lead. U-Mary responded with three runs on five hits, but Mathews avoided any extra damage by leaving the bases loaded to finish the first.
 
The Cougars quickly responded to tie the game with two runs in the second inning. Heath and Lindsey Mossman each singled then Emma Schifferle drove in two runs with a double for a 3-3 tie. Mathews worked a shutout second inning, allowing the Cougars to push ahead in the third.
 
Jasmine Ragusi opened the third inning with her sixth homerun of the season then Hoshaw doubled. As a pinch runner, Miranda White advanced to third on Heath's single and scored after Heath was caught stealing.
 
Mathews worked a perfect third inning in a span of recording nine straight outs, letting the Cougars expand on their lead. With two outs, Schifferle singled and Nieveen followed with her third homerun of the season, putting the Cougars up 7-3. U-Mary cut that lead to one with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth.
 
After a scoreless sixth for the Cougars, Black replaced Mathews in the circle and threw a shutout sixth inning. The Cougars then added an insurance run in the seventh as Emily Hove doubled and scored on another first-and-third play after Britni Broussard forced a throwing error while stealing second.
 
With an 8-6 lead, Black allowed a single, but a game-ending double play preserved the win and gave Black her league-leading sixth save.