SPARTANBURG, S.C. — South Dakota softball earned a split in the first of two games of a three-game series with Wofford Friday evening at Hope Field.
 
The Yotes took game one of the series 2-1 over the Terriers but would fall 5-0 in the second game of the day.
 
Game 1 – USD 2, WOF 1
After a pair of scoreless innings to start the contest, Delaney White put the Yotes on the board first in the third with a two-out double to right center that scored a pair of Coyotes. White moved over to third on a wild pitch, but the Terriers would force a ground out to strand White in scoring position.
 
A single and a double by the Terriers in the bottom half of the frame put Wofford in prime position to even the contest. However, the Yotes starting pitcher Clara Edwards would strand both runners by forcing back-to-back infield popups.
 
Edwards would go back to work and allowed just one baserunner across the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth. A leadoff homer from Wofford cut the Coyote lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, and the tying run would later reach second base with two outs. Edwards closed out the win, and her ninth complete game of the season, with a pop out.
 
Edwards allowed just the one run and five hits in her 7.0 innings of work. Autumn Iversen and Rylie Jones each went 2-for-3 from the plate.
 
Game 2 – WOF 5, USD 0
McKenna Young started in the circle in game two of the afternoon, and recorded five strikeouts across the first two innings, including three punchouts in the first. The Terriers would score first, plating two runs in the fourth, but the Yotes would limit the damage with a line out to right field for the third out with the bases juiced.
 
Wofford tacked on an additional run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The Yotes found runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings but were unable to scratch across runs as Wofford took game two of the series.
 
Sara Iburg led the Yotes at the plate by going 2-for-3, while Jones had the only extra base hit with a double in the third.
 
Young went 4.0 innings and had five strikeouts but is tagged with the loss. Campbell German surrendered three runs (two earned) in 1.1 innings of relief, while Madison Evans had one strikeout in 0.2 innings.
 
South Dakota closes out its time in Spartanburg tomorrow morning with game three against Wofford at 10:00 a.m. CT.