ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team suffered a pair of tough losses to Sioux Falls on Saturday, falling 7-4 and 5-2 (in 10 innings) at the Presentation Dome in Aberdeen, S.D.

MSUM is now 9-17 overall and 2-6 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference while Sioux Falls improved to 23-10 overall and 6-2 in the league.

In the opener, MSUM fell victim to a five-run third inning by USF and saw a late rally fall short.

"We battled until the end but their big inning was the difference," MSUM head coach Kelsey Fehl said. "We competed well in both games and our young team needs to build on that going forward."

In the opener, junior second baseman Lexie Kennedy was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, her second of the year. Sophomore designated hitter Payton Gaber was 2-for-4 with a run scored while junior outfielder Madison Paige was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Freshman first baseman Ashley McCance was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while sophomore third baseman Emma Dummer was 2-for-3.

Freshman Becky Berth took the loss for MSUM, going the distance and allowing seven earned runs. She struck out two and walked one.

USF scored five times in the third, with the key hit being a three-run homer, to take a 5-0 lead. Kennedy hit a two-run homer in the fourth to bring MSUM within 5-2. The Cougars added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to make it 7-2.

The Dragons mounted a rally in the seventh. Senior shortstop Aunica Novacek walked and scored on McCance's RBI double. Paige's RBI single scored McCance. The Dragons had the tying run on deck but a strikeout ended the game.

The second game was a scoreless pitching duel for nine innings between MSUM's Tori White and USF's Bre Black. USF mounted a five-run rally in the 10^th, with all of the runs scoring with two outs. White went 9.2 innings and allowed five earned runs, striking out five and walking one.

MSUM was led by Novacek who was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Gaber was 1-for-4 with two RBI while McCance was 2-for-5. Senior catcher Megan Asham had a hit as well for MSUM.

The Dragons had the winning run on base in both the eighth and ninth innings but could not punch the run across.

"We need to capitalize on our opportunities and do the little things right," Fehl said. "Tori pitched a really great game and kept us in it into extra innings."

Down 5-0, MSUM got on the board late, thanks to a two-run single by Gaber. MSUM had the tyring run at the plate but a groundout ended the game.

The Dragons are scheduled to host Minot State on Wednesday at 2 p.m. for a doubleheader.