COMMERCE, Texas — South Dakota softball opened its 2025 campaign Friday with a 9-2 win over Texas Southern but would fall 2-0 to East Texas A&M later in the night.  
 
Game 1 vs Texas Southern – W, 9-2
The Coyotes notched 13 hits in the season opening win and pulled away late, scoring seven runs across the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
 
Tatum Villotta notched three hits, two runs and an RBI in the first game of her senior season. Brooke Carey and Delaney White each tallied a pair of hits and drove in two runs.
 
After the Tigers struck first in the top of the first inning, the Yotes answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Leadoff hitter Ella McGee reached base for the first time in her Coyote career on a fielding error and would quickly move to second on a Villotta bunt single. McGee would cross home plate on the next at-bat on a TSU throwing error, and Autumn Iversen reached base on a fielder's choice.
 
Madison Evans recorded the first RBI of her collegiate career in the bottom of the second with an RBI SAC bunt that plated Isabel Carda and gave USD a 2-1 advantage. The Lions would get a run back in the top of the third to knot the contest back up at two.
 
Clara Edwards, who started in the circle for USD, made quick work of the top of the fourth with a three-up, three-down frame. Madison Evans broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth, her first hit as a Yote, with a single to third base that would score Carey on a TSU throwing error.


McGee led off the bottom of the fifth with her first career hit, a double to right center, and would later come around to score on a White single. With two outs in the inning, Carey put USD up three runs with a single up the middle to plate Villotta.
 
After Edwards retired the side in order in the top of the sixth, the Coyote bats added to its lead with four runs in the frame. Three straight hits from Villotta, Iversen and White scored three runs for the Yotes, while Carey came through again with two outs driving in White as the Yotes extended their lead to 9-2.
 
McKenna Young took over in the circle and recorded a scoreless seventh inning to close out the Yotes 9-2 win. Edwards pitched 6.0 strong innings to pick up her first win of the season with five strikeouts.
 
Game 2 vs East Texas A&M – L, 2-0
The South Dakota bats were stymied by East Texas A&M's Kate Houser who tossed a one-hit complete game. McGee recorded the lone hit for the Yotes with an infield single to lead off the game.  
 
The Yotes threatened in the first inning, moving Villotta into scoring position at third base with two outs but was left stranded as ETAMU forced a groundout on the next at-bat.
 
East Texas A&M put across one run in the third and an insurance run in the sixth but were otherwise held to just four hits against Evans and Young.
 
Evans made her first start as a Coyote in the circle and threw 4.0 innings, had three strikeouts, allowed two hits and one run (unearned). Young pitched 2.0 innings in relief with two punchouts.
 
The Coyotes are back at Cain Family Field tomorrow for a pair of games starting at 11:30 a.m. against Stephen F. Austin and at 4:30 p.m. vs East Texas A&M.