Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
MARSHALL, Minn.- Southwest Minnesota State fell in its conference opener on Tuesday afternoon as the University of Sioux Falls won, 3-0 scoring all three runs in the top half of the third.
The Mustangs had seven hits in game one stranding five runners on base as Kerrigan Hoshaw pitched a complete game shutout with three strikeouts for the Cougars.
Alex O'Connor also pitched a complete game as she pitched six shutout innings and gave up just three hits aside from the Cougars' three run, five hit top of the third.
An RBI triple and a two RBI double from the Cougars would prove to be enough offense to spoil the Mustangs' conference opener. The Mustangs' last win in a conference opener came back in the 2013 season when they defeated Sioux Falls 4-3 in the first leg of a doubleheader.
Athena Golling (3-1) started game two for the Mustangs and pitched four and a third innings while giving up just three hits and no runs.
Alex O'Connor earned her fourth save of the year after coming on in relief duty in the seventh to preserve a 3-1 SMSU lead.
After three and a half scoreless innings,
Sam Flack led off the bottom of the fourth with a lead off triple. Flack later came home to score on a throw following a wild pitch that also moved Abbie Decker into scoring position. Decker then gave the Mustangs a 2-0 lead on a grounder to second base from
Alex Reak.
Sioux Falls stranded two runners on base in the top of the fifth and SMSUÂ pushed its lead to 3-0 following two hits and a passed ball in the bottom half of the inning.
Shelby Crank, who came on to pitch in relief duty in the previous inning, gave up two hits in the top of the sixth.
Taylor Koloc threw out a potential second USF run at home plate from her left field position and Crank forced the next batter to ground out to short to end the inning.
O'Connor then struck out one in the top of the seventh and gave up no hits in her save effort to give SMSU its first conference win of the year.
SMSU (10-8) will continue its NSIC schedule with doubleheaders at Winona State and Upper Iowa this weekend.
