VERMILLION, S.D.—
Gabby Moser went 3-for-5 with two triples and a double and South Dakota pitchers
Clara Edwards and
Kori Wedeking allowed just four hits in a doubleheader sweep of St. Thomas Saturday at Nygaard Field. Scores went 7-2 and 3-0.
The wins secured a top four seed for the Coyotes in next month's Summit League Tournament. They end a five-game skid and improve to 21-23 overall with a 10-6 conference mark. St. Thomas fell to 16-33 overall and 4-12 inside Summit play.
Edwards allowed three hits in a complete-game performance in game one, but Wedeking topped that in the nightcap. She allowed a solid single up the middle to St. Thomas third baseman Abbi Stierlen to start the third inning and nothing more. Wedeking retired the next 15 to conclude her best pitching performance of the season. She struck out four, walked no one and needed just 75 pitches to get the job done.
Moser put South Dakota ahead in both games with triples to right field. Her first came in the bottom of the fourth inning of game one. Coryn Jacobson tried to make a diving grab on a hard hit ball by Moser, but it got past her and rolled to the wall.
Brylee Hempey and
Charis Black came around to score and South Dakota took a 2-1 lead.
Edwards and
Courtney Wilson roped RBI singles later in the frame and
Aleesia Sainz put the stamp on a five-run inning with a sacrifice fly to center. Edwards was 2-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate and
Bela Goerke also had two hits in game one.
Moser's triple in the bottom of the second inning of game two bounced off the top of the fence in right field and fell back into play. Goerke raced home from first on the play and the Coyotes had a 1-0 lead.
Moser doubled in the fifth and Hempey pinch ran and scored on a two-out, two-run base hit up the middle by Wilson that gave Wedeking and the Coyotes some breathing room. Wilson had two hits and matched Moser's three RBIs during the twin bill.
Half of St. Thomas' four hits came on routine ground balls to third in game one, but the runners beat the throw to first. Stierlen didn't play in game one. Kameron Monson laced her seventh double of the season for the Tommies with two outs in the seventh inning of game one that scored their second run.
Game three is Sunday at 11 a.m. South Dakota will honor its five seniors in a postgame ceremony.
