MADEIRA BEACH, Fla.—
Alexis Devers tossed another complete game,
Jamie Holscher smacked another home run and the Coyote softball team earned another win.
South Dakota moved to 11-4 following a 3-1 victory against 2018 NCAA tournament team Middle Tennessee State Sunday at R.O.C. Park. It was USD's second win against an NCAA qualifier on the trip and completed a 4-1 weekend in Florida.
Devers (4-1) took a shutout to the final inning for the fourth time in seven starts this season. She was perfect thru three and took a two-hitter into the seventh. The Blue Raiders (7-8) rattled off three straight singles with one out in the seventh to cut the lead to two, and loaded the bases on a single by Hailey Bosley. But with two outs, Devers struck out Claire Smith for the final out of the game. It was Devers' only strikeout of the contest.
The Coyotes got on the board in the second inning on a two-out, two-run single by left fielder
Ashtyn Blakeman which scored
Lauren Eamiguel and
Courtney Wilson. Blakeman and Eamiguel had two hits apiece Sunday. USD totaled seven hits in the game.
Holscher hit a solo home run in the sixth to make it 3-0. It was her third straight game with a home run, a feat she first performed last weekend at R.O.C. Park. In 10 games at the facility over the last two weekends, Holscher was 14-for-34 (.412) with two doubles, six home runs and 18 RBIs.
Sadly, the Coyotes will not be returning to Florida this season. USD travels to Phoenix, Arizona, next weekend for five games at a tournament hosted by Grand Canyon University. Northern Colorado, Grand Canyon (twice), Utah and Iowa State are on the docket.
At 11-4, South Dakota is off to its best start since 1999 and its fourth-best start in program history. USD teams in 1978, 1998 and 1999 started 12-3.
