VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota scored five runs in the first and cruised to a 7-0 win against Fort Wayne behind seven shutout innings from pitcher Rachel Cue Friday at Nygaard Field.
 
The win assures the Coyotes (19-26, 9-7 Summit) their fifth consecutive Summit League Tournament appearance. South Dakota has won six of its last seven and stands 1.5 games back of first place Western Illinois. The series with Fort Wayne concludes Saturday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader. The Coyotes will honor their three seniors in a ceremony following the games.
 
Cue (9-8) earned her 40^th collegiate victory, tying her for fourth place on USD's all-time list with Dawn Dahm Knudsen (1978-81). She stands one back of recent alumna Madison Frain. Cue struck out five and walked none in tossing her fourth shutout of the season and the 14^th of her career. She has won her last five decisions.
 
South Dakota took a 2-0 lead on a double by Jessica Rogers in the first. Shelby Keil's first collegiate triple followed to make it 4-0. Jamie Holscher squeezed Keil home from third one batter later to make it 5-0.
 
That was plenty for Cue, who didn't allow a hit until Sierra Miranda's double with one out in the fifth. The Mastodon's only other threat came in the sixth when the top of the order mustered three consecutive singles. Rogers, the Coyotes' catcher, threw Lauren Watson out at second for the second out of the inning, and Cue got Maria Palmegiani to fly out to short to get out of the inning.
 
South Dakota scored an unearned run in the third to make it 6-0 and Morgan Vasa doubled home Taylor Steinfeldt in the sixth to make it 7-0. Vasa and leadoff hitter Camille Fowler had two hits each for the Coyotes, which had 10 hits in the game. Fowler is batting .426 in Summit play, the third-best average in the league.