SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Though they made the safe trip south, the University of Mary Softball team couldn't leave behind the mistakes as they took on the University of Sioux Falls this afternoon in a pair of Northern Sun contests.
 
The Marauders (6-20, 0-7 NSIC) were beset by sloppy play and an anemic offense as they fell before the Cougars (24-9, 8-2 NSIC) in both games of the doubleheader, 14-0 and 12-4, as U-Mary continues to search for their first conference win of the season.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Marauders had no answer for starting pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw in the first game as the Cougar held U-Mary to three hits in the contest. Unfortunately, any hopes for a pitcher's duel from MeLanie Rodriguez were quickly dashed as Shannon Daly gave Sioux Falls a 3-0 lead in the first inning with a three-run shot over the centerfield fence.
 
Though the Cougars brought the power to the plate, they received help from the Marauder defense as U-Mary committed seven errors over the course of the game while two of their hits came in the top of the first after Taylor Mendez singled to first base and Shawnee Zink reached for runners at first and second on a single to center field.
 
Alas, Hoshaw settled back into her rhythm and struck out the final two Marauders in the inning to quell the rally, leaving U-Mary scoreless in the game.
 
Daly bore the brunt of the work on the offensive end as she drove in eight of the Cougars' 14 runs in the game, starting with two unearned runs in the bottom of the second with a single to left field, and capped off the game with another three-run shot to put the exclamation mark on the 14-0 final score..
 
The seven errors committed by the Marauders accounted for seven unearned runs in the contest as Rodriguez took the complete game loss and gave up eight hits in the contest.
 
Aside from Mendez and Zink, Kylie Alto was the other Marauder to record a hit with her double to left center in the top of the third, while Hoshaw finished the contest with six strikeouts and issued one walk.
 
GAME TWO
 
U-Mary had greater success at the plate on the backend of the doubleheader as Demaree Rodriguez gave the Marauders a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with her solo shot to center field, while Brieann Backes started off the game strong with three straight groundball outs after a leadoff double in the bottom of the first.
 
Yet the momentum quickly shifted in the second inning as the U-Mary batters went down in order while the Cougars capitalized on a Marauder miscue to score six runs, three earned, to take over the lead at 6-1 heading into the third. Haley Covais got the rally started with a double down the left field line two score one, followed by Megan Peterson reaching on the error to add two more, a single from Danielle Walker to right center for two runs, and a sacrifice fly from Betsy Thomas to complete the scoring for the commanding lead.
 
U-Mary struggled to get the offense in gear against starting pitcher Breanna Black in the third while Sioux Falls got three more, all unearned, for a 9-1 lead going into the fourth. The Marauders appeared to have the issue at the plate resolved in the fourth after Mendez drove a two-out pitch over the left center fence for a 9-2 score, followed by a two-run jack from Alto in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit down to 9-4.
 
Unfortunately, the game came to an abrupt halt in the sixth after U-Mary was held scoreless in their half only to be bested by an RBI single from Shae Hoskins and a two-run single down the left field line from Peterson to stop the game early with a 12-4 final score.
 
Alana Norman and Demaree Rodriguez both finished with two hits in the contest as Norman added one stolen base to Rodriguez's solo shot.
 
Backes took the complete game loss as she went five innings and allowed six earned runs.
 
The Marauders will wrap up their weekend with another doubleheader tomorrow afternoon starting at 12 PM against Southwest Minnesota State University.
 
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