SAVAGE, Minn. - The Concordia University softball team (9-19, 4-4 NSIC) was swept by Sioux Falls (17-7, 5-3 NSIC) on Thursday morning at the Savage Sports Center as the Cougars took game one 6-4 and game two 8-0 (5 inn.).

USF collected 23 hits in the two games, including three home runs to guide them to victory.

Bekah Roth stayed hot by going 3-6 in the doubleheader. She made her first career start behind the plate in game two with regular catcher Elena Koncar unavailable due to illness.

GAME ONE: Sioux Falls 6, Concordia-St. Paul 4

The Golden Bears rallied from down 6-0 in the late innings and had the tying run in scoring position, but fell just short in the loss.

The Cougars got things going quickly as Erin Scott led off the game with a hit and scored two batters later. They added a second run in the second on a delayed steal of home by Kellen Dewey and another in the third on a solo blast from Betsy Thomas.

USF broke it open in the fifth with three runs scored, all with two outs, to make it 6-0.

That would be all for starter Linzy Heim, who got the game one start with Stephanie Kappes out with an illness, as she went five innings and struck out four.

Teona Zepeda came in and made her first appearance on the year in the circle with two shutout innings.

CU got one back in the sixth as Alicia Meiser reached base with a single and stole second before being brought home by Liz Jarosz.

In the bottom of the seventh, Emily Shinn, Kelly McKenzie and Meiser got the rally going with three straight singles with one out the inning. After Zepeda was retired for the second out, Roth delivered an RBI hit and Jarosz loaded the bases with a walk. A wild pitch brought home a run and moved the tying run to second, but Navarae Honoroff was retired to end the game.

GAME TWO: Sioux Falls 8, Concordia-St. Paul 0 (5 inn.)

Zepeda got the start in the circle in game two and was greeted with a first pitch home run for Erin Scott.

Sioux Falls added five more in the second to chase Zepeda as the Golden Bears brought in Heim to pitch the final three innings.

Heim allowed only three hits and no earned runs with two strikeouts in relief.

The Cougars recorded their only two runs off Heim in the third as they scored two unearned runs on a two-out, Taylor Jonas single off the wall.

Pitcher Bailey Bouman had CU off-balanced the entire game as she limites them to only one hit, a leadoff single for Honoroff in the fifth, in the game. Bouman also walked two and struck out seven.

Concordia is scheduled to take on Northern State this Saturday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on the football field on the campus of NSU. They are also scheduled to play MSU Moorhead in Moorhead on Sunday, but predicted inclement may change that. Stay tuned to cugoldenbears.com for all schedule updates.