CEDAR FALLS, Iowa—South Dakota softball moved to 2-2 on the young season after outlasting Murray State 9-8 in 10 innings before dropping a 7-4 decision to DePaul Saturday on the second day of the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic.
 
The Coyotes conclude play with a rematch against UNI at 4:15 p.m. Sunday. USD downed UNI 5-3 in the season opener Friday.
 
South Dakota freshman Aleesia Sainz had three hits on the day including a home run early against Murray State for her first collegiate hit and a two-run triple in game two against DePaul.
 
In addition to Sainz, Dylan Underwood, Jordyn Pender and Courtney Wilson also had three hits apiece with an RBI.
 
USD 9, Murray State 8
The Coyotes and Racers first met in Florida last year and it was Murray State that came away with an 8-4 victory. This rematch had a wild finish.
 
Pender doubled and her pinch runner, Sydney Perryman, came around to score during a two-run fifth inning that knotted the game at 3-3. It stayed that way until the eighth inning.
 
Sainz broke the deadlock with an RBI single to make it 4-3 in the top half, and the Coyotes tacked on four more runs before it was all said and done. Mia Kraimer, Camille Fowler, Wilson and Lauren Eamiguel ripped consecutive hits to break it open. It was a five-spot that gave USD an 8-3 lead.
 
But Murray State (2-1) answered – all with two outs.
 
Lindsey Carroll laced a two-run single to make it 8-5, and two batters later, Sierra Gilmore belted a three-run homer to tie the game at 8-8.
 
Neither team scored in the ninth. The Racers had the winning run on third with one out, but USD pitcher Holly Fletcher got consecutive popups to get out of it.
 
In the 10^th, it was Underwood who came through with a base hit to left that scored Grace Garcia from third. Fletcher retired the side in the bottom half to secure her first collegiate victory.
 
DePaul 7, USD 4
South Dakota outhit DePaul 8-5, but Coyote pitchers issued nine free passes and the Blue Demons (1-1) took advantage.
 
Fletcher started game two, but couldn't get out of the first. The Blue Demons had a 4-0 lead before the Coyotes picked up a bat.
 
It got interesting in the bottom of the fourth. That's where Sainz's two-run triple occurred and it cut DePaul's lead to 6-3. Lauren Wobken followed with a single that made it 6-4. Underwood singled to give USD two on with nobody out. But Racer ace Natalie Halvorson retired the next two batters and a base-running error got the Racers out of the jam.
 
DePaul, an NCAA Tournament team last year, opened the game with three consecutive hits and had four in the first inning. The Racers' only hit past that was a two-run homer by Erin Andris in the fourth.