HAMMOND, La.—Southeastern Louisiana didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat for its visitors from Vermillion.
 
Senior Aeriyl Mass hit her first home run as a Lady Lion as part of a 3-for-3 effort and senior pitcher Heather Zumo didn't allow a hit as SLU blanked the Coyotes 11-0 during a rainy five innings Thursday to kick off the Lion Classic.
 
It was the first game in exactly 11 months for South Dakota, which plays two more against the Lady Lions Friday and is scheduled to play seven games in all in Hammond against competition that includes Nicholls and North Texas. Thursday was opening day for college softball.
 
Zumo's only blemishes were the four walks she handed out. She struck out four in getting the opening-day ball, a year after going 2-2 in six starts and 11 appearances last season after transferring to SLU.
 
Mass hit .364 last year, but didn't have an extra-base hit in 66 at bats. That didn't matter much as she smacked a three-run homer off the top of the wall in center to highlight a five-run third inning that broke it open. Mass added two singles and a walk. She scored three times and drove in four.
 
South Dakota played like a team that was outside for the first time since last fall. Four errors in the field led to four unearned runs and Coyote pitchers walked eight and threw three wild pitches in four innings. Of course, the water puddle in front of third base didn't help!
 
Zumo retired the first seven before Makayla Tsagalis drew a one-out walk in the third. Zumo also worked around a one-out walk in the fourth. She put the first two on in the fifth, but got the next three to close the game.
 
USD and SLU meet in a doubleheader Friday starting at 5 p.m.