ATLANTA, Georgia – South Dakota softball team posted a pair of victories on day one of the Panther Invitational hosted by Georgia State at Bob Heck Softball Complex on Friday.
 
The Coyotes defeated Butler 7-1 and blanked Georgia State 4-0 behind a complete game shutout from junior Clara Edwards.
 
SOUTH DAKOTA 7, BUTLER 1
The Coyotes took advantage of four Bulldog errors in scoring six unearned runs in the first three innings of the victory.
 
Gabby Moser delivered a two-run double in the first, Delaney White had a sacrifice fly in the second while Autumn Iversen hit an RBI double and Alecea Mendoza had an RBI groundout in the third.
 
Iversen, a freshman, had a pair of doubles in the victory while Rylie Jones and Tatum Villotta also singled.
 
McKenna Young, a freshman, made her first collegiate start in the circle and pitched into the fifth inning, going 4.2 innings while allowing one earned run on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
 
Madi Mangulis and Kori Wedeking provided relief help in closing out the win for the Coyotes.
 
SOUTH DAKOTA 4, GEORGIA STATE 0
Edwards needed 101 pitches to complete her first game of the season and register her 13 shutout of her career. She walked three and strikeout out five.
 
The Coyotes got on the board in the first inning as White, sophomore, connected on a two-run home run, her first of the season and the second of her career. It came after Villotta, who was 3-for-4, had singled and stolen second.
 
South Dakota pushed the lead to 3-0 as sophomore Maddox Boston hit a solo home run in her first at bat in a USD uniform to lead off the inning. Boston, a transfer from Creighton, was making her first start of the season in left field.
 
South Dakota closed the scoring as pinch runner Alivia Conte raced around from first base to score when a fly ball off the bat of Alexis Lusk was dropped in right field in the top of the sixth.
 
The Coyotes play two more games on Saturday facing Butler at 10 a.m. (ET)/9 a.m. (CT) and Belmont at 12:30 p.m. (ET)/11:30 a.m. (CT).