Wayne State 10 Sioux Falls 8

            Wayne State College needed all 11 hits, including four home runs, to outlast the University of Sioux Falls 10-8 Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the 2014 Northern Sun Conference Softball Tournament played at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  With the win, the 35-16 Wildcats now advance to a Friday 12 p.m. winner's bracket semi-final game against top-seeded Minnesota State, who topped Minot State 3-1 on Thursday afternoon.
            The game featured several lead changes until the Wildcats took the lead for good with a pair of solo homers in the bottom of the sixth inning, then WSC had to hold off a seventh inning Cougar rally that saw USF load the bases before the Wildcats hung on for the win.
            WSC scored in the first when Megan Hagemann singled and later scored on a bases loaded walk to Sam O'Brien for a 1-0 lead. 
            USF took a 3-1 lead in the second, but WSC came back with a four-run third inning to regain the lead at 5-3.  Hagemann led off the inning with a homer over the left field fence.  Kaiti Williams and Kelcie Bormann each singled with both players scoring on a three-run blast by freshman first baseman Melanie Alyea for a 5-4 Wildcat lead.
            The Cougars erupted for five runs in the fourth, using three hits and one Wildcat error to take an 8-5 lead.
            WSC trimmed the USF lead to 8-7 in the bottom of the fourth when Jordan King singled, Williams walked and both players scored on Melanie Alyea's double to right center field. 
            The Wildcats knotted the score at 8-8 in the fifth inning when Lexie Loos walked with two outs, stole second and scored on a Michelle Thille single through the left side.
            WSC then used a leadoff solo homer by Kaiti Williams to left field and a two-out solo homer by Sam O'Brien to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 10-8 lead.
            But Sioux Falls made things interesting in the top of the seventh, loading the bases after the first two batters were retired on a walk and a pair of singles.  WSC starter Sara Scheffert then got USF designated hitter Taylor Jonas to ground out to second base to end the game as the Wildcats held on for the thrilling 10-8 win.
            Wayne State finished with 11 hits in the game while Sioux Falls had 10.  Freshman first baseman Melanie Alyea was 2 for 3 with a double, homer and five RBI's to lead the way.  Kaiti Williams finished 2 for 3 with a homer and three runs scored while Megan Hagemann finished 2 for 4 with a homer and two runs scored.  Sam O'Brien also homered for the Wildcats and had two RBI's.
            Junior Sara Scheffert (18-11) worked all seven innings to get the win, charged with eight runs (four earned) on 10 hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
            Wayne State will meet NSIC regular season champion and top-seeded Minnesota State in a winner's bracket semi-final on Friday at 12 p.m.