SIOUX FALLS – After a thrilling doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, University of Sioux Falls Softball now begins a six-game road trip this weekend, heading to Minnesota for four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games. The Cougars (25-20, 12-8 NSIC) face St. Cloud State (27-19, 11-9 NSIC) on Saturday, April 22 in a doubleheader scheduled for 12 p.m. On Sunday, April 23, USF takes on Minnesota Duluth (30-14, 14-6 NSIC) with the twinbill set for 12 p.m.
 
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Hoshaw tosses first perfect game in program's D2 history, USF sweeps Concordia-St. Paul
For the first time in USF's Division II history, Kerrigan Hoshaw tossed a perfect game, retiring all 15 Concordia-St. Paul batters she faced as the Cougars provided 10 hits in an 8-0 victory in five innings. Hoshaw struck out four batters and was aided by a diving stop from Kenna Heath in the final inning to keep her perfect game intact. The Cougars were locked in a tight battle in game two, looking to complete the sweep, which would help separate them from the pack in the race for the 10 spots in the NSIC Tournament. Hoshaw drove in a run in the bottom of the first and USF starter Courtney Mathews had the CSP bats stifled until the sixth inning when they scored one to tie the game. The Golden Bears took a lead in the top of the seventh, but Britni Broussard's outfield assist to cut down a run at the plate, kept USF's deficit at one run. Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Ashley Meyer erased CSP's lead with a solo homerun. The Cougars loaded the bases then scored the game-winning run on a dropped fly ball that would have taken the game into extra innings.
 
Series history vs. SCSU: USF leads 7-3
Capturing five straight victories over St. Cloud State, Sioux Falls has taken a 7-3 lead over the Huskies in the series. In their five-game winnings streak against SCSU, only one win has come by less than four runs, a 4-2 victory in game two against St. Cloud State last season. Despite the slanted record in favor of the Cougars, USF is looking to even the series on the road. The Cougars trail SCSU 3-1 in games hosted by the Huskies and have won two neutral site contests, winning both games in the NSIC Tournament in 2015. Last season, Kerrigan Hoshaw tossed a five-hit shutout in the 8-0 game-one victory then Breanna Black earned the complete game victory in game two while Danielle Walker drove in three runs to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory.
 
Series History vs. UMD: UMD leads 5-3
After dropping both games last season, Sioux Falls is looking to tie the series with Minnesota Duluth, who owns a 5-3 record against USF. On the road, USF is 1-1 against the Bulldogs, splitting the 2015 series as the only time the two teams have met in Duluth – the 2013 series was played at a neutral site in St. Cloud, Minn. Last season, UMD rolled up 11 hits against USF in game one for a 7-2 victory then USF responded in game two with nine hits, but succumbed to eight fielding errors, which helped Minnesota Duluth to a 7-5 victory and series sweep.
 
Playoff push: Cougars fifth in NSIC standings with 10 league games remaining
With 10 games remaining, Sioux Falls is in the driver's seat to earn their fourth straight bid to the NSIC Tournament. At 12-8 in league play, the Cougars are in fifth with a four-game lead over the 11th-place team. However, USF remaining schedule isn't as kind with road doubleheaders against current No. 4 Minnesota Duluth and No. 6 St. Cloud State this weekend and No. 3 Augustana next week. USF's final home stand comes against Bemidji State, who is tied for ninth in the NSIC, and Minnesota Crookston, who is currently 16th.
 
Hoshaw's perfect game highlights USF pitching staff's development
After recording her third shutout of the season, in exciting fashion with a five-inning perfect game, Kerrigan Hoshaw showed how USF's pitching staff has progressed through the season, bringing their team ERA down to 3.61 after a rocky start to the conference season. Hoshaw is second on the Cougars with a personal 3.97 earned run average, behind freshman Courtney Mathews' 2.60 mark, which ranks 11th in the league. Hoshaw and Mathews are 11th and 12th in the league, respectively, with 75 and 74 strikeouts this year. Leading the league in saves is junior Breanna Black, whose six total saves are tied for sixth nationally.
 
Cougars have five hitters over .350 led by Ragusi
Nearly 50 games into the season, USF's lineup has taken its shape and four newcomers are leading the way at the plate. Jasmine Ragusi, whose seven-game hitting streak was snapped at Minot State, has increased her batting average over 70 points the past two weeks and now owns a team-leading .388 mark with hits in 12 of her last 13 games. Ragusi has six homeruns and 14 doubles, second on the team with a .633 slugging percentage. Freshman Kenna Heath's batting average has never dipped below .300 since she went 1-for-1 against Grand Valley State and she is second on the Cougars with a .358 mark heading into this weekend. Sophomore newcomer Sydney Nieveen, who earned a spot back in the starting lineup at first base, has increased her batting average 69 points to .355 entering the weekend. Her .459 on-base percentage is eighth in the NSIC and the 15 times she's been hit by a pitch is second in the league and she is 13th nationally. Freshman Emma Schifferle has been solid all year for the Cougars and played just about every position in the field, ranks fourth on the team with a .353 batting average, including nine doubles and two homers. Rounding out the Cougars' five hitters over .350 is sophomore Kerrigan Hoshaw, who is hitting right at .350 with a team-high eight homeruns while tied for the lead with Ragusi with 30 runs batted in. Hoshaw's .680 slugging percentage is tops on the team and is aided by her 10 doubles.