LAS VEGAS—South Dakota needed a gem and got it from pitcher Dustie Durham who tossed a three-hit shutout in helping the Coyotes beat New Mexico 5-2 Saturday on day two of UNLV's Marucci Desert Classic. It was the first win of the season for USD, which ended an eight-game skid.
 
Durham took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and allowed one hit thru six. She struck out six and walked two. All three New Mexico hits were singles.
 
USD second baseman Alyssa Fernandez was 3-for-4 with a double in the first, a two-run homer in the third and a single in the seventh. It was her fifth home run of the season and gave the Yotes a 2-0 lead. She scored again on a two-run double in the seventh by Emily Winckler that made it 4-0. Winckler was 2-for-3 with two doubles.
 
UNLV 6, South Dakota 2
Justine Federe had two hits including a three-run home run in the second inning in leading the host Rebels to a 6-2 win against South Dakota in the late game Saturday.
 
UNLV (7-2) led 5-0 after two and rode a complete-game performance by pitcher Janine Petmecky to get the win. Petmecky (3-1) worked around nine hits and five walks. Five of her eight strikeouts came with runners in scoring position.
 
The Coyotes (1-9) stranded 15 runners and were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Three times, they left the bases loaded and five times stranded a runner on third. Durham had an RBI double in the fifth inning that cut the lead to 5-1. Camille Fowler singled and scored in the sixth that made it 6-2.
 
Fernandez was 2-for-3 with two walks in the nightcap for USD. In four games in Vegas, she is 7-for-12 (.583) with a home run, a double and two RBIs. Winckler is 4-for-13 (.308) with a home run and four RBIs.
 
Sunday
South Dakota wraps up the Classic with a 9 a.m. (PST) game against UTEP.