SIOUX FALLS – Francesca Mickelson's walkoff single powered University of Sioux Falls Softball to a doubleheader split against No. 13 Augustana on Wednesday night. The Cougars took game one, 4-3, before falling 6-2, in the second leg of the twinbill. USF improves to 26-17 on the season, including an 11-9 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Augustana moved to 33-10 on the year with a 16-4 record in the NSIC.
 
Sioux Falls heads to the road for their final weekend of the regular season, playing doubleheaders at Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State on April 28 and 29.
 
USF's victory in game one snapped a six-game losing streak to Augustana and brought their series record to 2-8 against their city rivals. With an 11-9 record in NSIC play, Sioux Falls is tied with Minnesota State in the NSIC standings and they are three games clear of 11th-place University of Mary and Southwest Minnesota State for a spot in the NSIC Tournament next weekend.
 
Sioux Falls 4, No. 13 Augustana 3
After Augustana erased a three-run deficit, sophomore Francesca Mickelson drove in Sydney Nieveen for the game-winning run for a walkoff 4-3 victory over city rival and 13th-ranked Augustana. Nieveen and freshman Cassie Van Beek both had three hits while Kerrigan Hoshaw provided two of USF's four RBI. Courtney Mathews worked three shutout innings, stranding five Augustana runners to earn her ninth victory of the season.
 
The Cougars built a three-run lead with a run in the second inning and two more in the third. Starting her second career game, Van Beek was 3-for-3 on the day and recorded her first career RBI in the second inning. Mickelson reached on an error and advanced to second on a groundout. Van Beek's single up the middle was enough for Mickelson to beat the throw home and give USF a lead.
 
Starting pitcher Hoshaw worked her third consecutive shutout inning before she added two more runs to USF's lead. Lindsey Mossman walked and Nieveen singled with one out and both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Hoshaw then sent a hard ground ball through the left side, scoring both runners for a 3-0 USF lead.
 
The Vikings cut into the Cougar lead, capitalizing on a pair of USF errors to push across two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Augustana opened the top of the fifth with a single and a walk, which brought in Mathews in relief of Hoshaw. Following a sacrifice bunt, Ashley Mickshl singled to bring home one run and tie the game at 3-3. Mathews then closed the door when Mickelson made a heads-up play in centerfield, cutting down an AU runner advancing to third on a base hit to strand a pair of runners.
 
Nieveen recorded her second hit of the game, a single in the fifth inning, but USF was held scoreless. Mathews kept the Cougars tied throwing scoreless sixth and seventh innings, giving her teammates an opportunity to win the game.
 
Nieveen led off with a single, her third hit of the game, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Following an out, Hoshaw walked to give the Cougars two runners and one out. Mickelson stepped to the plate and took the 0-1 pitch back up the middle. Nieveen then rounded third and beat the throw home, giving USF a walkoff 4-3 win.
 
No. 13 Augustana, 6, Sioux Falls 2
Sioux Falls cut their three-run deficit to one, but a late surge by Augustana provided them with a four-run cushion, which held and handed the Cougars a 6-2 defeat and doubleheader split. Breanna Black was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs in three innings of work. However, Black led the USF offense with two of their six hits in game two while she and fellow senior Jasmine Ragusi provided the Cougars's two RBI.
 
Augustana jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first inning, but Black avoided any further damage with a bases-loaded groundout to end the inning. Lindsey Mossman led off the bottom of the first, but that was USF's only hit of the first three innings.
 
The Vikings added a third run in the top of the fourth inning, using a pair of hits to build a 3-0 lead. A leadoff double forced Black out of the circle, replaced by Kerrigan Hoshaw, who surrendered a hit that scored the Vikings' third run. Sioux Falls then responded in the bottom half, breaking through against Augustana starter Lexy Pederson.
 
With two outs, Emily Hove and Cassie Van Beek each singled. After Hove advanced to third on Van Beek's infield single, Black drove in the first run, legging out an infield single which allowed Van Beek to advance to third on a throwing error. Returning from injury, Ragusi came up with a pinch-hit single, scoring Van Beek with USF's fourth consecutive hit.
 
Hoshaw and Pederson traded shutout fifth and sixth innings, but the Vikings then added a trio of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. On four hits, Augustana extended their lead to 6-2 before the Cougars' final at-bat.
 
Black notched her second hit of the day, singling to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Raguis's fielder's choice replaced Black at first base before Mossman grounded out and Sydney Nieveen struck out to end the Cougars' last-inning threat.