COMMERCE, Texas. — On a foggy Monday morning in Texas, South Dakota softball earned its fourth straight win and a three-game sweep of East Texas A&M with an 8-0 win in five innings at Cain Family Field.
 
The Yotes jumped on the Lions early with a four-run first inning. Tatum Villotta led the game off with a triple to center field and would touch home base on the play as the throw to third base went out of play. Following a single from Delaney White and a walk from Clara Edwards, Abi Brown added to the Coyote lead with a three-run homerun over the left field fence. It was Brown's first homer of the season and gave USD an early 4-0 lead.
 
After a double to lead off the third from White, Edwards moved her over to prime scoring position with a SAC bunt, which paid dividends two batters later when Campbell German reached on a fielder's choice and drove in White.   
 
Clara Edwards retired six straight batters across the second and third innings and would help herself by driving in a pair of runs in the fourth. Autumn Iversen led off the frame with an infield single and scored from first on the next at-bat on a Carey double to right center. Edwards brought around Villotta and Brylee Hempey with a double to right field to put the Yotes up 8-0.
 
The Lions found runners on first and second in the bottom of the fifth but were unable to scratch across any runs as the Yotes secured the five-inning 8-0 run rule win.
 
Edwards was in the circle for all 5.0 innings for the Yotes and struck out four while allowing just three hits and one walk.
 
White went 2-for-2 from the plate, while five Yotes tallied extra base hits in the contest. Both White and Villotta scored two runs, while Brown had three RBIs and Edwards had two.
 
The Coyotes return to action on Friday in Hampton, Virginia for the Pirate-Spartan Challenge. The Yotes first set of games next weekend are against Hampton at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. CT.