SIOUX FALLS – University of Sioux Falls Softball dropped two games to St. Cloud State on Monday evening. The Cougars (25-16, 10-8 NSIC) struggled at the plate in game one, falling 8-0, then surrendered a late run in game to drop a 5-4 decision to the Huskies.
Sioux Falls will host city rival Augustana on Wednesday, April 25 for their final home game of the regular season. Wednesday's doubleheader is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at Sherman Park.
St. Cloud State 8, Sioux Falls 0
Sioux Falls was held to four hits in game one of their doubleheader, falling 8-0 to St. Cloud State.
Kerrigan Hoshaw was saddled with the loss, giving up four runs in in four innings of work.
Francesca Mickelson had two of USF's four hits while
Lindsey Mossman and Hoshaw each recorded a base hit.
St. Cloud State scored their first run with a pair of hits in the third inning, then tacked on three more in the fourth inning. Limiting the Huskies to three runs,
Megan Peterson cut down a run at the plate to end the fourth.
USF threatened in the bottom of the third with Hoshaw and Mickelson notching hits in the third, but came up empty. A pair of walks gave the Cougars life in the bottom of the fifth inning and
Ashley Meyer loaded the bases by reaching on an error. However, the USF rally ended on a groundout.
St. Cloud State broke through against USF reliever
Courtney Mathews in the seventh inning. Following two shutout innings by Mathews, SCSU tallied four hits and scored four more runs to push their lead to 8-0. The Cougars' final at-bat ended with a line-drive double play after
Megan Peterson worked a walk.
St. Cloud State 5, Sioux Falls 4
Breanna Black worked her seventh complete game of the season, but a late run by St. Cloud State handed the Cougars a 5-4 loss. Paced by
Lindsey Mossman's three hits and
Ashley Meyer's homerun, the USF offense out-hit the Huskies, 11-9, but left nine runners on base.
Black stranded a pair of runners in the first two innings before the Cougars were first two score.
Emily Hove doubled for the fourth time of the weekend and
Emily Miller drove her home with a single to centerfield, giving USF a 1-0 lead.
St. Cloud State responded by capitalizing on a walk to tie the game at one run apiece. Following a leadoff single by Mossman, Meyer connected on her 10th homerun of the season, putting USF back on top, 3-1, through three innings.
Black stranded another runner in the fourth inning, but USF left two on base in the bottom half, keeping their lead at two runs. Aided by an error, St. Cloud State took a 4-3 advantage, scoring three runs, including one unearned, with a pair of hits in the top of the fifth inning.
USF's deficit stayed at one until they were able to manufacture the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Emily Miller reached on a hit by pitch and was moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Black reached on an infield single then advanced to second on a double play, which erased Miller. Mossman came up clutch with her third hit of the game, singling in Black with a base hit down the right field line.
The Huskies struck back, pushing across the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. St. Cloud State scored their fifth run with one out and Black kept her team down just one run, stranding two more SCSU runners.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hove singled with two outs, but the Cougars were held there as Miller flied out to deep centerfield to end the game.
