SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Continuing their run at the NSIC/US Bank Softball Tournament, Sioux Falls was led by freshman pitcher Breanna Black and first baseman Betsy Thomas to two thrilling victories on Friday. The Cougars (32-22) took down St. Cloud State for the second time in as many days, winning 9-1 in five innings. In their second elimination game of the day, Black pitched a three-hit, complete game shutout to defeat Wayne State, 2-0.
The Cougars will take on Minnesota State at 10 a.m. tomorrow, May 2, and the winner of the game will face Augustana for the right to play Winona State for the NSIC/Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament beginning on May 4.
With her two victories on Friday, Black became USF's first 20-game winner since their transition to NCAA Division II in 2011-12, which also sets the Cougar record for wins in a season. Thomas hit a home run in each game, pushing her 2015 total to 15, which sets a new season record for the Cougars. With their first win of the day, the Cougars also set a program-best for wins in a season.
No. 9 Sioux Falls 9, No. 8 St. Cloud State 1 (5 innings)One day after using a big inning to defeat St. Cloud State for their first Division II postseason win, Sioux Falls scored nine runs in four innings to defeat the Huskies, 9-1, in five innings. Black threw all five innings, allowing one unearned run, while USF tallied 10 hits to power past SCSU. And stay alive in the NSIC/US Bank Tournament.
Both teams were held scoreless in the first inning, but the Cougars exploded for six runs over the next two frames. Danielle Walker led off the second inning with a single and moved to second, allowing Alyson Netty to start the scoring with an RBI single. After advancing to second on the previous play, Netty scored on Leah Husemoen's ground rule double, marking the fourth RBI for the freshman outfielder. Husemoen came around to score two batters later, crossing the plate on one of Brooke Stetzler's three hits in the game.
Black stranded a runner in the bottom of the second inning, allowing USF to expand their lead in the top of the third. Shannon Daly led off with a walk, setting up Betsy Thomas to hit her first of two home runs on Friday. Thomas fouled off four straight pitches before sending the ball over the left field wall for her 14th big fly of the season. Walker worked one of her tournament-best four walks to give Netty another runner to drive in, this time with a double down the left field line that pushed USF's lead to 6-0.
St. Cloud State manufactured a run in the bottom of the third inning to cut into the Cougar lead. Veronica Wold led off with a single and Emma Hodges followed with a double. Alyssa Coletto drove Wold in with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring the Huskies only run of the game.
Stetzler kept the Cougar attack going with a one-out single in the top of the fourth inning and Erin Scott moved her to second with a walk. Daly drove in both USF speedsters with a double to right centerfield for two more Cougar runs to push their lead to 8-1.
After Black stranded another SCSU runner in the bottom of the fourth, the Cougars scored the game-clinching run in their fifth-inning at-bat. Megan Peterson drilled a one-out double to left centerfield, and Britni Broussard walked before Stetzler reached on a bunt single. Peterson would score on a wild pitch, and after Scott earned her second walk of the game, the Cougars couldn't add any more runs to their total, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth.
Sealing her 19th win of the season, Black forced three straight SCSU groundouts to end the game in five innings. Allowing five hits in as many innings, Black finished the game with two strikeouts and no walks to keep the Cougars alive in the tournament.
Sioux Falls 2, Wayne State 0Betsy Thomas broke a scoreless tie with a home run in the fourth inning and her solo blast proved to be the game-winning run as Sioux Falls starting pitcher
Breanna Black would throw seven shutout innings to give the Cougars a 2-0 win over Wayne State.
Black scattered three hits over her seven innings of work, stranding four Wildcat runners for her first career complete game shutout.
Wayne State starting pitcher Kelcie Bormann was equally impressive through the first three innings, not allowing a USF hit in their first three trips to the plate. Thomas borke that hitless streak in the Cougars' second at-bat of the fourth inning, sending a ball over the centerfield fence for her 15th home run of the season.
With a 1-0 lead, Black continued to shine in the circle. The freshman from Mankato, Minn. gave up a hit in the second, third and fourth innings, but she would throw three hitless frames to close the game, allowing only one runner to reach base by way of an error.
In the sixth inning, Sioux Falls added an insurance run with three hits. Shannon Daly registered a one-out single through the right side and Danielle Walker followed with a base hit two batters later. Alyson Netty continued to come up big with runners in scoring position, knocking in her third run of the day with a single down the left field line for a 2-0 Cougar lead.
After a USF error allowed Wayne State to place a runner on first, Scott came up with a big diving catch and doubled off the runner at first to erase any WSC scoring chance. Black completed her shutout victory with a groundout to USF shortstop Brittany Hoffmann, finalizing the game at 2-0 in favor of the Cougars.
