In search of its first road sweep of the season, the University of Minnesota Duluth will have to patiently wait another day after falling to Sioux falls University twice Sunday afternoon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs, who opened up their first road assignment in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, lost 7-3 in the opener and narrowly let the Cougars slip past 3-2 in the rematch.

UMD, who has been inconsistence on the road going 3-7 in its first 10 games this spring, dropped below the .500-mark in the NSIC for the first time in 67 games. That streak began on April 6, 2011 when the Bulldogs climbed back to .500 over Minnesota State University, Moorhead. The Bulldogs mustered eights hits in each game and forced six walks to go along with five USF errors. The offense sputtered to bring runners in as UMD left 17 runners on base.

Sioux Falls (19-7, 7-4 NSIC) took the lead in the bottom of the second with three runs and punched in two more runs in the sixth for insurance to lock up game one. The Bulldogs and Cougars were deadlocked at two a piece when Kellen Dewey broke the tie on a single that squeaked past the right side. UMD scored both of its runs in the first. Junior infielder Jordan Rice doubled to left to plate sophomore infielder Sami Schnyder and sophomore catcher/designated hitter Ashley Lewis pushed senior captain Megan Mullen across the following at-bat.

Mullen saw her first action on the circle this year after fully recovering from an off-season surgery on her throwing elbow. Mullen (0-1) was rusty in her first appearance since last year giving up five runs on a pair of hits and six walks in an inning and two-thirds.

The Hermantown Minn. native wasn't rusty at the plate, however, as she piled up five hits in the double dip and drove in all three runs in game one. With her three-RBI performance, Mullen is just shy of reaching the 100-RBI milestone. Mullen smacked her fifth home run of the year in the top of the first and walked in a run an inning later to take a brief 3-2 lead.

The Bulldogs (15-14, 1-3 NSIC) will travel to Marshall, Minn. for a duo of NSIC engagements versus Southwest Minnesota State University tomorrow starting at 12 p.m. That doubleheader was scheduled for today but was pushed back a day.