ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – University of Sioux Falls Softball suffered two heartbreaking one-run losses to Minnesota Duluth on Sunday. Britni Broussard gave USF a one-run lead with an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning of game one, but UMD hit a walkoff two-run homerun to win 2-1. In game two, Sioux Falls (26-23, 13-11 NSIC) held a one-run lead in the sixth inning before UMD scored two runs to hand the Cougars a 5-4 loss.
 
Sioux Falls plays their final road games of the regular season on Tuesday, April 25 at crosstown rival Augustana with first pitch set for 3 p.m.
 
Minnesota Duluth 2, Sioux Falls 1
Sioux Falls broke a scoreless tie with one run in the top of the seventh inning, but a walkoff two-run homerun gave Minnesota Duluth a 2-1 victory. Breanna Black suffered the loss after coming on in relief of starter Kerrigan Hoshaw to record the final out of the sixth inning.
 
Sioux Falls managed just two hits in the first six innings a two-out single by Emily Hove in the second inning and a one-out single from Kenna Heath in the fourth, but their defense was up to task to keep the game scoreless entering the seventh.
 
Hoshaw scattered six hits without allowing a run in the first five innings and was relieved by Black with two outs in the sixth inning. Black induced a flyout with two runners on for the last out of the inning.
 
Leading off the seventh, Black doubled to put a runner in scoring position. Ashley Meyer walked with one out and Hove recorded her second hit with a single up the middle to load the bases. Britni Broussard scored the first run of the game with a single up the middle to score Black, but the Cougars couldn't add another, leaving the bases loaded.
 
The Cougar lead was short lived as UMD led off the bottom of the seventh with a double then Becky Smith hit a two-run homerun to left centerfield for the 2-1 victory.
 
Minnesota Duluth 5, Sioux Falls 4
Sioux Falls scored four unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a one-run lead, but Minnesota Duluth scored two in the bottom of the sixth, handing the Cougars a 5-4 loss. Courtney Mathews suffered the loss while Ashley Meyer was one of four Cougars to record a hit, driving in two runs with a pinch-hit double.
 
UMD hopped out to a 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. After her rocky start, Mathews settled in and threw four scoreless innings.
 
After shutout second and third innings by Mathews, USF took the lead with four runs by capitalizing on two UMD errors. Sydney Nieveen singled to lead off and Jasmine Ragusi reached on the first error then Breanna Black followed by reaching on the second error. Kenna Heath drove in the first run on a groundout then Meyer doubled to score two more. Emily Hove capped off the big inning with an RBI single for the fourth Cougar run.
 
Mathews tossed two more shutout frames and USF held their lead with two innings to play. Kerrigan Hoshaw singled to lead off the sixth, but the Cougars couldn't add to their advantage. In the bottom half of the sixth, Minnesota Duluth overtook the lead with two runs on three hits.
 
USF failed to respond in the top of the seventh, going down in order to end the game with a 5-4 defeat.