SIOUX FALLS – Splitting their penultimate doubleheader of the regular season, University of Sioux Falls Softball hosted Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponent Minnesota Crookston on Friday afternoon with each team earning a victory. The Cougars (17-26, 14-14 NSIC) were dominant in all facets of game one, rolling to a 9-0 win in five innings. In game two, USF was out-hit 13-6 and Minnesota Crookston earned the series split with a 5-2 victory.
 
The Cougars host Bemidji State in their final regular season doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at Sherman Park. Sioux Falls remains in a three-way tie for eighth at 14-14 as they look to lock up their fourth-straight bid to the NSIC Tournament by finishing in the top 10 of the league standings.
 
Sioux Falls 9, Minnesota Crookston 0 (5 innings)
On the back of a stellar pitching performance by Kerrigan Hoshaw and a 12-hit performance from the offense, Sioux Falls cruised to a 9-0 win over Minnesota Crookston in game one. Hoshaw led the USF offense with three hits and Emily Hove drove in two runs with a pair of hits while nine different USF batters recorded at least one base hit.
 
After a shutout frame by Hoshaw in the top of the first, USF broke the game open with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. The first four batters reached as Jasmine Ragusi and Hoshaw each drove in a run with a single. Kenna Heath connected on a bases-loaded double to drive in two more and Emma Schifferle singled in the fifth run of the inning in her second at-bat.
 
Hoshaw, who allowed just two hits in her four innings of worked, tossed another scoreless frame, setting up the Cougars to expand on their lead. Hoshaw and Francesca Mickelson each singled before Hove drove in her first run of the day on a two-out single.
 
Heading to the bottom of the fourth with a 6-0 lead, USF added three more runs to surpass the eight-run lead needed to end the game via mercy rule. Hoshaw led off with a double and Breanna Black singled in pinch runner Miranda White for the first tally of the inning. Ashley Meyer drove in the next run with a pinch-hit single and Hove capped off the scoring with her second hit of the day, an RBI single to left centerfield.
 
Black relieve Hoshaw in the circle and avoided any trouble with a shutout fifth inning, allowing just one hit in the process. Hoshaw improved her season record to 12-10 with the victory while pushing her team-leading RBI total to 37 this year.
 
Minnesota Crookston 5, Sioux Falls 2
Minnesota Crookston avoided the doubleheader sweep by totaling 13 hits while the USF offense managed just six of their own in a 5-2 loss. Courtney Mathews was handed the loss, dropping her record to 10-9 on the season.
 
In the first four innings, Mathews was holding a shutout and struck out a career-best eight batters. USF opened a 1-0 lead in the first inning Ashley Meyer singled in Sydney Nieveen, who reached on a walk.
 
The Cougars doubled their lead with another tally in the bottom of the fourth as Francesca Mickelson singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch then was driven in on an Emily hove double.
 
Minnesota Crookston erased their 2-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, knocking out Mathews with three hits and plated the go-ahead run on a throwing error.
 
The Cougars couldn't capitalize on a one-out double from Nieveen in the bottom of the fifth before UMC connected on five hits to score two more in the top of the sixth. Kenna Heath singled in the bottom of the sixth, but that was the last hit for the Cougars as Minnesota Crookston held on for a 5-2 win.