ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—
Jordyn Pender's two-out, go-ahead double in the nightcap against La Salle highlighted a pair of South Dakota softball victories Friday on the opening day of University of New Mexico's Lobo Classic. The Coyotes (10-8) topped Northern Colorado 6-4 and La Salle 4-3 to run their win streak to five games.
Pender, tied for the best average in the Summit League entering the week, had three hits Friday, but none bigger than her gapper in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Explorers. La Salle (0-5) took its first lead of the game in the upper half of the inning on a two-run homer by Ashley Mendendall. The Coyotes loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half and got a pinch-hit RBI groundout from
Mia Kraimer before Pender's big punch.
Sarah Lisko, who pitched a complete-game against Northern Colorado in the game prior, got the final three outs in the seventh for her first save of the season. That gave the win to
Holly Fletcher (2-2), who replaced starter
Alexis Devers after 5 1/3 innings in which she allowed five hits.
South Dakota leadoff hitter
Camille Fowler singled and scored to start the day against Northern Colorado. She tripled and scored to lead off the game against La Salle. It was her seventh collegiate triple and that early run held up until the sixth inning.
Lisko won her fourth consecutive start to improve to 6-1 on the season. She didn't allow a hit until there was one out in the fourth inning and two of the four runs the Bears scored were unearned. Lisko allowed six hits in the opener with one walk and one strikeout.
Shortstop
Lauren Eamiguel was the catalyst offensively for the Coyotes in game one. Her RBI single in the first scored Fowler for the first run of the game, and her two-run double in the second extended South Dakota's lead to 4-1. Eamiguel totaled three hits and four RBIs in the two games.
Aleesia Sainz's two-run double gave USD a 6-1 lead on Northern Colorado in the fifth. The Bears (3-13) responded with three runs in the sixth, but Lisko retired the top of the Bears' lineup in order in the seventh.
South Dakota returns tomorrow for a rematch with Northern Colorado at 10:30 a.m. (MT) followed by a 6 p.m. bout with the home team, New Mexico, at 6 p.m. (MT).