VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota Softball returned to Nygaard Field for the first time in two weeks and posted a pair of shutouts for a sweep of Morningside Sunday afternoon.
 
The Yotes move to 24-17 on the season and are 5-3 on their home field.
 
Game 1 – W, 6-0
The 1-2 punch of Tatum Villotta and Ella McGee got the Yotes on the board first. Villotta led off the game with a triple down the right field line and was brought in on a bunt single from McGee.
 
South Dakota added to its lead quickly in the top of the second, after a leadoff single from Autumn Iversen, Abi Brown sent her third home run of the season over the right center field fence to put the Yotes up 3-0. A sacrifice fly from Villotta brought in Rylie Jones as USD took a 4-0 lead through two innings.
 
Clara Edwards started in the circle for the Coyotes and went 3.0 innings without allowing a run and just four hits.
 
Madison Evans took over in the fourth, and while the Mustangs would load the bases, Evans escaped the jam unscathed and recorded all three outs via strikeout.
 
USD added a fifth run in the fourth off a Villotta single and Mustang error and would score its sixth run in the sixth with a two-out single from Evans.
 
Evans is credited with the win after tossing 4.0 innings with six punchouts and one hit. The Yotes had three extra base hits with a double from Evans, triple from Villotta and a homerun by Brown.
 
Game 2 – W, 8-0                                         
Game two saw a pair of scoreless innings to start, before the Coyotes scored eight unanswered across the third, fourth and fifth frames to earn an 8-0 run-rule win.
 
Carey broke the 0-0 tie with a sacrifice fly that scored Carda, and a Villotta single up the middle brought Jones home for a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Coyotes scored on four straight at-bats in the fourth starting with a Iversen double to left0center. Tahjzha Botts scored Sara Iburg from third on a sac fly to push the lead to four.  A Jones line drive to left center drove in Iversen, and Jones would reach third on the play on a Mustang error and would cross home plate on a Carey sac fly.
 
USD loaded the bases to begin the fifth with a single and two walks. An RBI single from Emerson Waldow scored one, and a Piper Ruhl walk with the bases juiced brought in Iburg to secure the 8-0 run-rule win.
 
McKenna Young struck out seven in her 5.0 innings of work and allowed just two hits and no runs.
 
Jones was a perfect 2-for-2 from the plate with two runs, while Carey drove in two runs.
 
South Dakota returns to Summit League play next weekend with a series against Omaha starting with a doubleheader at noon on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.