GREENVILLE, S.C.—Jordyn Pender's grand slam home run in the first inning of the first game set the tone for a pair of South Dakota softball wins Friday at Pepsi Stadium. Pender tied her career-high with six RBIs in a 7-3 win against Georgetown in game one. Aleesia Sainz homered twice and Clara Edwards once in a 10-6 win against Furman in the nightcap. The Coyotes have won five in a row and improved to 6-1 overall.
 
It was Pender's second collegiate grand slam and fourth career homer. She finished 3-for-7 on the day with eight RBIs, giving her a team-tying 10 on the young season.
 
Courtney Wilson was 4-for-4 against Georgetown with two runs and an RBI. It was her first collegiate four-hit game. She also had an outfield assist. Bela Goerke was 2-for-4 and scored twice against the Hoyas (1-5).
 
Edwards (3-1) pitched her third complete game and earned her third win. She struck out six, walked three and allowed two earned runs on eight hits. She pitched 20 1/3 innings this season before surrendering her first earned run.
 
South Dakota's offense scored in every inning but the sixth in taking down Furman (2-3). Leadoff hitter Tatum Villotta scored three times as part of a 3-for-5 effort. Wilson delivered a two-run triple in a three-run fifth that made it 9-5 Coyotes. Sainz homered in consecutive at bats in the fifth and seventh innings. Edwards hit a solo shot in the third inning and pitched the final two outs of the seventh to close out the win.
 
Kynlee Marquez, a freshman from Oxford, Nebraska, made her USD debut in the circle in relief of starter Grace Garcia. Marquez pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed two hits with three strikeouts. Only one of the three runs scored off her was earned. The Coyotes made five errors defensively, which were the only things that kept things close. Furman mustered just six hits – five singles and a double – and only one of the Paladines' six runs were earned.
 
South Dakota returns to the diamond Saturday for games against Saint Francis (11:30 a.m. ET) and Georgetown (2 p.m. ET).