VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota's first four hitters combined for 16 hits, 11 runs and 10 RBIs as the Coyotes' swept South Dakota State in two games on Senior Day Saturday at Nygaard Field. Scores were 9-2 and 12-3 in five innings. Game three is at 11 a.m. Sunday.
South Dakota (25-23-1, 12-4) has clinched the No. 2 seed in next week's Summit League Tournament. The Coyotes also earned a point in the South Dakota Showdown Series by clinching the series.
South Dakota's four seniors – Allie Daly, Matley Jones, Katie Dinning and Morgan Hancock – were the stars during a day devoted to them. Daly and Jones were both 4-for-7 with a home run and a double. Dinning was 4-for-8 and scored four runs. Hancock was 3-for-8 and hit a walk-off, three-run homer to left field to end game two.
Dinning moved within three runs of the Summit League' single-season record. She has scored 53 times in 49 games. Daly moved within three RBIs of the Summit's single-season mark. She leads the Summit with 57. South Dakota's single-season record is 63. Daly also extended her hitting streak to 16 games. That's the longest streak on record for the program.
Coyote first baseman Yvon Minogue was 4-for-8 to increase her average to .472. Her 84 hits this season are a USD record and stand one shy of the Summit League's season mark set by Sandy Atkins 20 years ago. Minogue also upped her nation's leading tally in doubles to 25.
Daly hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run second inning for South Dakota in game one. It was her 13th of the season. Shelby Keil hit a solo shot to make it 7-0 in the third and Jones' 14th bomb of the year cleared the scoreboard in left and made it 9-0.
Madison Frain (12-10) pitched her 12th complete game of the season and earned her 12th win. She allowed seven singles, a double and struck out two.
South Dakota scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning of game two to take a 5-3 lead and walked off with seven runs in the fifth. Minogue had an RBI single up the middle in the fourth and laced an RBI double to center in the fifth. Hancock's line drive homer to left was South Dakota's sixth consecutive hit against SDSU pitching.
Coyote pitcher Rachel Cue (10-12) struck out four and got the win in game two. She allowed three runs on six hits.
South Dakota improved to 9-0 at home this season. The Coyotes are batting .473 and averaging 10 runs and nearly three home runs per game at Nygaard Field. Daly is batting .621 (18-for-29), Minogue is batting .613 (19-for-31), Jones is batting .606 (20-33) and Dinning is at .516 (16-for-31).
