Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 EMPORIA, KAN. – The University of Sioux Falls Softball Team (10-11) dropped a pair of nonconference games on Friday as they fell to Central Missouri, 2-1, and Pittsburg State, 9-4, at the Emporia State Softball Classic.

G1 – Central Missouri 2 Sioux Falls 1
In the first game, USF had a stellar pitching effort from junior right-hander Courtney Mathews but dropped a 2-1 decision. Matthews, who dropped to 5-4 on the season, allowed six hits and two earned runs while recording seven strikeouts in her complete game loss. In nine starts this year, Mathews now has five complete games and a 2.31 earned run average with a team-high 39 strikeouts.

Central Missouri jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Ashlyn Cook singled, stole second and scored on Jessica Sader's single. USF tied the game when Frankie Mickelson hit a solo home run in the fifth inning of USM starters and winner Gentry Wishard (2-1), who worked seven innings and allowed two hits, a run and had four strikeouts. For Mickelson it was her second home run of the season and the sixth of her career.

UCM scored what proved to be the winning run in the fifth inning as Lauryn Deer singled and scored on Hailey Crabtree's run-scoring single. Otherwise, pitching on both sides dominated.

G2 - Pittsburg State 9 Sioux Falls 4
Pittsburg State used a seven-run fourth inning to erase an early USF lead and take an 9-4 decision as USF fell to 0-2 on the day and 10-11 overall.

USF starter Sydney Nieveen (2-2) lost for the second time this season. She allowed eight runs (six earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Kerrigan Hoshaw finished for USF with 2 2/3 innings of relief work as she gave up two hits and run with three strikeouts. Shelby Smith earned the victory for PSU as she allowed 10 hits and four runs with two strikeouts in throwing a complete game.

The USF offense was led by Ashley Meyer, who had two hits including a home run, with two RBI. Senior infielder Emily Hove, who was the NSIC Player of the Week, was one of four players with two hits for USF, which collected 10 in the game but managed just four runs. Hove had a double and single with two runs scored. Freshman outfielder Lexie Swift had two hits and a RBI while Emmie Uitts also had two singles.

Kala Holder led PSU with two hits, three runs and four RBI on the day. Both of Holder's hits were home runs, including a three-run shot in the decisive fourth inning which gave PSU a big lead. Mikayla Mahlo also had a pair of hits for PSU, which also had 10 hits.

USF jumped up to a 2-0 lead in the top first inning as Meyer hit her second home run of the season and 15^th of her career. PSU answered with a run in the bottom of the first inning when Holder hit the first of her two home runs of the day, which was a solo shot to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the fourth inning, PSU put together a seven-run inning to grab control of the game. They scored a pair of unearned runs following USF errors for a 3-2 lead. Then Madison Wegner hit a two-run home run for a 5-2 lead. That blast was followed three hitters later by Holder's second home run of the game which was a three-run shot for an 8-2 lead.

In the sixth inning, senior Kerrigan Hoshaw slammed her 25^th career home run, which cut PSU's deficit to 8-3. However, the Gorillas answered with a run in the home half of the sixth inning as Keelah Griffth, who had two hits, hit a double down the right field line which scored Holder.

In the seventh inning, Hove doubled with two out and scored on Swift's run-scoring single.

Next for USF will be a pair of games against Washburn at 12:30 p.m., and host school Emporia State at 5:30 p.m., on Saturday, March 23.