The Wayne State softball team saw its 2015 season come to a close with a pair of losses in the Northern Sun Conference tournament Thursday in Sioux Falls, S.D.
In the opener, Augustana connected for six home runs to send the Wildcats to the losers' bracket with a 10-2 defeat.
The Vikings set the tone early, hitting three home runs and a double in the first four at bats to take a shocking 4-0 lead.
Wayne State scored both runs in the top of the fifth when Caitlin Fehringer led off with a a homere to center field and Morgan Hoeg walked and scored on a Lexie Loos double.
The Wildcats were held to three hits in the contest, two coming from Loos, who was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Cassy Miller took the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits over four innings with one strikeout and two walks. Shelby Wobken worked the final 1 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on six hits.
In the losers bracket, the Wildcats couldn't get the bats going as Sioux Falls eliminated Wayne State with an 11-1 defeat.
Sioux Falls scored two in the second, three in the third, four in the fourth and two more in the fifth. The Wildcats' lone run came in the fourth when Emily Chandler hit a solo homer to center, giving her a school-record 53rd RBI for the season.
Chandler's homer was one of four hits in the game, wiht Loos, Fehringer and Sam O'Brien also adding hits. Miller took the loss, charged with five runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings. Wobken closed out the game, working the final 2 2/3 innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits.
Wayne State ends the year with a 27-26 record.
