Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team ended its 2014 season with a 4-0 and 5-3 losses to the University of Sioux Falls in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM ended the season at 15-24 overall and 9-19 in the NSIC, while Sioux Falls, which qualified for the NSIC tournament, improved to 30-15 overall and 18-11 in the league.

In the first game, the Dragons were held in check by USF starter Amanda Walters, who came into the game leading the NSIC in strikeouts. She fired a four-hit shutout, striking out 10. Dragon starter Morgan Nybo was solid in defeat, allowing three earned runs in seven innings. She struck out six and walked none and allowed six hits.

Junior center fielder Mollie Annen was 2-for-3 with a double for MSUM. Junior shortstop Taylor Huss was 1-for-3 while freshman left fielder Carly Williamson was 1-for-2 with a double, the first of her collegiate career.

MSUM had runners on third twice in the game but was unable to get a key hit to get the runs across. USF led 2-0 after six innings but added two insurance runs in the seventh to secure the win.

The Dragons had a 3-0 lead in the second game thanks to RBI doubles from freshman second baseman Jill Fox and junior catcher Brittany York, along with a solo homer from sophomore Kristy Bruni, but a five-run fifth inning by the Cougars proved decisive in giving the Cougars a 5-3 lead.

"We just couldn't stay out of the big inning," MSUM head coach Kelsey Fehl said. "We did a good job of manufacturing some runs and giving ourselves the lead. But we couldn't avoid the big inning and that was the difference."

Fox was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI, while Bruni was 1-for-3 with a homer and two runs scored. York was 1-for-4 with an RBI double while sophomore second baseman Kristen Nordby was 1-for-2 with a run scored and a sacrifice. Annen and Williamson also had hits for the Dragons.

Nordby pitched well for most of the game but ran into trouble in the fifth when the Cougars used six hits and two Dragon errors to score five times. Nordby allowed 10 hits and five runs (four earned), striking out six while walking none.

MSUM scored first in the second. With one out, Bruni reached on an error and moved to second on a groundout. Fox then hit a double that just bounced inside the line in right field, allowing Bruni to score and giving MSUM a 1-0 lead.

The Dragon lead grew to 2-0 in the third. With one out, Nordby singled, and York crushed a double to left-center to score her, giving MSUM a two-run lead.

Bruni led off the fourth with a solo homer -- her fourth of the year -- to push the Dragon lead to 3-0.

The Cougars then put together the five-run rally in the fifth to take the lead at 5-3.

MSUM had two runners on in the fifth and one in the sixth but were unable to get any more runs in as Walters, who came in relief of Bailey Bouman, finished the game for the Cougars.

The Dragons, with just one senior on the active roster, wrapped up the season with the doubleheader.  MSUM won 15 games in 2014, more than doubling their win total a year ago. It is the most wins for the Dragon program in a season since the Dragons won 18 in 2008. MSUM's nine conference wins were most in a single-season since 2007.

"We made progress this season," Fehl said. "We were a young team that counted a lot on our underclassmen. We grew a lot over the season and we're excited to see where we can go in the future."

Notes: Neither Dragon pitcher walked a batter on the day…MSUM recognized its lone senior, Alexa D'Onofrio, as part of Senior Day. D'Onofrio has missed the past two seasons because of injury; prior to that she pitched for three years for MSUM…Annen led the Dragons with a .325 average this season; York led with six homers and 23 RBI while Annen, York and Huss each had seven doubles.