GREENVILLE, South Carolina – South Dakota softball split a pair of games on the opening day of the Paladine Classic on Saturday at Pepsi Stadium.
 
The Coyotes defeated Akron 3-1 before suffering a 3-2 setback to host Furman in the two-day event that was reduced down from three days due to not being able to play any games on Friday because of poor weather.
 
SOUTH DAKOTA 3, AKRON 1
Clara Edwards and Kori Wedeking combined for a seven-hitter, allowing only one earned run while striking out six.
 
Edwards, the junior, started and pitched the first four innings of scoreless ball allowing four hits with four strikeouts.
 
Wedeking, a senior, earned the win, improving to 3-1 on the season, allowing one earned run on three hits in three innings.
 
South Dakota snapped the scoreless deadlock and pitcher's duel with a three-run bottom of the sixth inning, getting an RBI single from Rylie Jones and a two-run home run from Gabby Moser. It is the third home run of the season for the senior and the 11^th of her career.
 
Autumn Iversen went 2-for-2 with a run scored as each team has seven hits in the contest.
 
FURMAN 3, SOUTH DAKOTA 2
Furman edged the Coyotes with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning, snapping a 2-2 deadlock.
 
South Dakota (9-8) was limited to four hits in the contest by two different Furman pitchers.
 
Jones laid down a squeeze bunt to plate the first Coyote run of the game in the top of the third and starting pitcher McKenna Young evened the game at 2-2 with an RBI single in the top of the fourth.
 
Three of the team's four hits came in that top of the fourth as Alecea Mendoza and Abi Brown each singled ahead of Young's run scoring hit.
 
Young allowed two earned runs in three innings of work while Madi Mangulis was saddled with the hard-luck loss allowing the one unearned run on three hits over two innings of relief work.
 
South Dakota faces Akron (10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT) and Furman (12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. ET) again on Sunday.