SIOUX FALLS – Winning in both narrow and dominant fashions, University of Sioux Falls Softball swept Southwest Minnesota State in both teams' Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference openers on Wednesday evening. The Cougars (17-8) kept their winning streak alive with Sydney Nieveen's walkoff homerun in the 11th inning for an 11-10 win in game one then rode Breanna Black's complete-game shutout to a 7-0 victory in game two. Ashley Meyer connected on three homeruns in the doubleheader as USF hit a total of seven dingers in the conference opening season.
 
Sioux Falls continues a three-game home stand on Thursday, March 29, hosting No. 8 Winona State at 2 and 4 p.m. then close out their conference-opening week with a doubleheader against Upper Iowa on Friday, March 30 at 2 and 4 p.m.
 
Sioux Falls 11, Southwest Minnesota State 10 (11 innings)
Riding in with a 12-game winning streak, Sioux Falls was pushed to the brink, but Sydney Nieveen's walkoff homerun kept their streak alive in an 11-10 victory in 11 innings. Courtney Mathews relieved starting pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw after the fifth inning then worked six innings to earn the victory.
 
Four different Cougars hit homeruns in the game, including Nieveen's walkoff shot in the 11th inning. Ashley Meyer connected on a two-run shot in the first inning, Emily Hove and Breanna Black went back-to-back in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, and Nieveen provided the extra-inning heroics with her solo shot in the 11th.
 
The Cougars scored in each of the first three innings, but after a 3-0 lead in the first, led by Meyer's two-run homer, Southwest Minnesota State was able to keep pace. The Mustangs (5-12, 0-2 NSIC) scored twice in the second inning, but Nieveen and Emily Miller each drove in a run to keep their cushion at three runs.
 
SMSU connected on a two-run homer in the third to pull within one run before Black's leadoff double preceded Lindsey Mossman's RBI single. The Mustangs again scored, pulling within one run in the top of the fourth then holding USF scoreless for the first time in the bottom half.
 
Taking their first lead of the game, Southwest Minnesota State hit a three-run homerun in the top of the sixth, which gave them an 8-6 advantage. The SMSU lead was short lived as Hove and Black hit back-to-back solo homeruns with two outs to tie the game.
 
Putting the pressure back on the Cougars, SMSU took advantage of three USF errors to score a pair of runs before USF's last trip to the plate in regulation. Megan Peterson and Mossman both reached to start the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, Meyer came up big, driving in both runs with a single to right centerfield, tying the game at 10-10. Hoshaw worked a walk to give USF two runners and move Meyer into scoring position, but a pair of strikeouts ended the USF rally.
 
Neither team threatened in the eighth inning, and Mathews worked out of a one-runner jam in the ninth, giving the Cougars a chance to end it in the bottom half. Mossman led off with a double, but she was cut down at the plate when she tried to after being sacrificed to third.
 
Mathews kept the Mustangs at bay in the 10th, allowing just one runner and USF again threatened in the bottom half. Miller led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Cassie Van Beek. Following two outs, Emmie Uitts walked and Megan Peterson loaded the bases on an infield single. With the bases loaded, Mossman's looping liner was caught by the rightfielder to end the inning.
 
Southwest Minnesota State advanced a runner to third in the top of the 11th, but Mathews again tossed a shutout inning, her fourth straight to keep the game tied. On the second pitch of the bottom of the 11th, Nieveen hit a no doubt homerun to right centerfield, ending the game in walkoff fashion for USF's 13th straight win.
 
Sioux Falls 7, Southwest Minnesota State 0
With much less drama than the first leg of the doubleheader, USF kept their winning streak rolling in a 7-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State. Breanna Black tossed a complete game shutout, scattering seven hits over seven innings to earn her eighth win of the season. Ashley Meyer headlined the Cougar offense with a pair of homeruns and Kerrigan Hoshaw connected on her third dinger of the season.
 
Black was on her game early as she retired the first six batters and gave up her first hit to the ninth SMSU hitter she faced. Meyer helped give her pitcher an early lead when she took a 1-1 pitch deep over the left field fence for a 2-0 USF lead in the first inning.
 
Black worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third, allowing the Cougars to expand on their lead. Game-one hero Sydney Nieveen led off with a walk, and two batters later, Hoshaw connected on her third homerun of the season. After a pitching change, Emily Miller singled through the left side and Emily Hove followed with a single to left. A fielder's choice moved Miller to third and put runners on the corners. Francesca Mickelson drove her teammate in from third with a double, giving USF a 5-0 lead through three innings.
 
After Black sat retired the SMSU side in the fourth, with the help of her own 1-6-3 double play, Meyer launched her second homerun of the game, third of the day, with two outs for a 7-0 advantage.
 
Black stranded a pair of runners in both the fifth and sixth innings to keep her shutout intact and the Cougars added another tally in the bottom of the sixth. Megan Peterson led off with a walk and reached second after an error on Lindsey Mossman's ground ball. Nieveen singled through the left side to score Peterson and give the Cougars their ultimate 7-0 lead.
 
Finishing the game as she started it, Black worked a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, earning the complete game shutout and USF's 14th straight victory.