OMAHA, Neb. — South Dakota softball battled late at Claussen Field but would fall 2-1 to Omaha in the series finale.
 
Omaha struck first in the bottom of the first with a two-run homerun over the center field fence. Edwards would settle into Saturday's contest following the first frame and held the Mavs scoreless over the next three innings.
 
Delaney White tallied the Yotes first hit of the contest with a single in the fourth, but was left stranded as Maddia Groff recorded her fourth straight scoreless frame.
 
Rylie Jones nearly had herself a homerun in the fifth, as her blast bounced off the centerfield wall for a stand-up double. Jones would move over to third by tagging on a fly out to the right fielder in foul territory. The Mavs, however, were able to get out of the inning without any damage with a strikeout.
 
McKenna Young took over in the circle in the bottom of the fifth and put the Mavs down in order. USD found runners on first and second early in the sixth following a Tatum Villotta single and a walk from Sara Iburg. However, Groff held the Yotes off by retiring the next two batters.  
 
Facing a 2-0 deficit in the seventh, Madison Evans got the Yotes going with a triple down the right field line. Omaha was able to get the next two outs without allowing Evans to come across home but would eventually be brought in by an RBI double from Abi Brown. The Mavericks would ultimately force a fly out to right field in the next at-bat to close out the series with a 2-1 win.
 
The Yotes had three extra base hits with a pair of doubles from Jones and Brown and a triple by Evans.
 
Edwards takes the loss after throwing 4.0 innings in the circle, while Young went 2.0 innings with three strikeouts.
 
South Dakota will head to Fargo, North Dakota next weekend for its final road series of the regular season. The Coyotes and Bison kick off the series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon.