VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota softball split Friday's doubleheader with St. Thomas at Nygaard Field. The Tommies took the first game 6-4 in an 11 inning marathon of a game, while the Yotes responded in game two of the afternoon with an 8-6 win in the series finale.
 
Game 1 – L, 6-4
The Yotes ran into trouble in the top of the second, as the Tommies quickly loaded the bases with one out. St. Thomas plated the first run of the day with after drawing a walk. Edwards forced a groundout back to herself in the circle, getting the force out at home, but the Tommies brought in a second run via a hit by pitch in the next at-bat. The Yotes limited the damage, however, with a groundout to Brylee Hempey at second base.
 
Rylie Jones led off the fifth with a bunt single and would find her way home on an RBI stand-up double from Sara Iburg in the next at-bat. An infield single from Abi Brown and throwing error by the shortstop would result in Iburg scoring and cutting the Tommies lead to one, 3-2. A Tatum Villotta groundout to second would move pinch runner Piper Ruhl over to third, and in the next at-bat Ella McGee's infield single knotted the contest at 3-3.
 
The Tommies led off the seventh with a solo homerun over the left center field fence and would threaten to extend their lead, but the Yotes would strand a pair of runners on base.
 
Abi Brown got the Yotes going in the bottom of the seventh with a double, and pinch runner Isabel Carda would move over to third on a Villotta groundout to the right side of the infield. With two outs, McGee came through for the Yotes with an RBI single through the left side to push the game to extra innings.
 
After three straight scoreless frames in extra innings, the Tommies broke through in the 11^th with a pair of two-out runs. Autumn Iversen reached on an error in the bottom half of the inning, but the Tommies Ella Cook ended the game with a strikeout.
 
McGee had a career high three hits, her seventh multi-hit game of the year, and drove in two runs. Evans, Jones and Brown also had multiple hits.
 
Edwards started in the circle and threw 8.0 innings. She had six strikeouts and allowed four runs. Madison Evans is tagged with the loss after 3.0 innings pitched in relief. Evans had two punchouts and allowed two earned runs.
 
Game 2 – W, 8-6 (5 innings)
The second game of the doubleheader would be called final after five fully completed innings with the Coyotes grabbing an 8-6 win.
 
Laken Leinhard homered for the second time on the day in the top of the first to give UST an early lead. McGee moved into the leadoff spot for the Yotes in game two and immediately tied the game at 1-1 as she rounded the bases and scored on a throwing error by the third baseman. The Yotes grabbed the lead later in the inning after a line drive up the middle from Jones drove in Delaney White from second.
 
A leadoff double from the Tommies in the second inning would end up tying the game at 2-2 after a passed ball and a single from UST. Leinhard sent her third homerun of the day in the third to give the Tommies a 3-2 lead.
 
The Yotes erupted for five runs in the fourth inning to pull ahead with a 7-3 lead. Brown got the big inning started for USD with a leadoff home run over the left field fence to tie the game, her second of the season. Iversen singled in the next plate appearance, and Carey pushed the Yotes in the lead with a blast to left field for her first homer of the year.
 
Villotta and White kept the run going for the Yotes as Villotta doubled down the right field line and was quickly brought home on an RBI single from White. With the bases juiced and one out, Iburg grounded out to third but brought White in from third to give USD a 7-3 advantage.
 
After the Tommies got three runs back in the fifth, off a pair of homeruns, three straight singles from McGee, Villotta and White added an insurance run for the Yotes who held an 8-6 lead.
 
Campbell German made quick work of the Tommies in the sixth with a three up, three down frame, and in the bottom half of the inning, play was suspended and eventually the game was called final due to weather in the area with the Yotes taking an 8-6 win.
 
McKenna Young earned her ninth win of the season after going 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts.
 
White went 2-for-3 from the plate with two RBIs and two runs. Jones, Villotta, Brown and Carey all recorded two hits each. After securing two hits in game two, Villotta now sits with 199 career hits as a Coyote.
 
The Coyotes move to 20-14 on the season and 3-3 in Summit League play. Next up for the Yotes is a midweek doubleheader in Des Moines, Iowa to face Drake on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.