Coyotes take on State this weekend
After collecting two wins against Indiana-University Purdue-University Indianapolis on March 23, the University of South Dakota women’s softball team improved to 5-4 in the Summit League.
In the first game of the three game series, freshman Katie Dinning went 1-3 with two runs batted in. Dinning also delivered two huge two-run singles in the sixth inning to break a 0-0 tie in the game. The Coyotes eventually outlasted IUPUI to take the first game 2-0.
The next two games ended up being split with the Coyotes winning a 5-4 in an 8-inning thriller then losing 1-8 in the final third game.
USD hits the road as they will travel Omaha to face the Creighton Blue Jays in a non-conference match-up today.
After Creighton, the Coyotes will take on in-state rival South Dakota State University on March 30 and 31 in Brookings.
Sophomore infielder Lindsey Boyd who leads the Coyotes with 18 stolen bases on the year, said the team will be ready to take on the Jackrabbits this weekend.
“I am just excited to face our state rival,” Boyd said. “We have been really working on our cuts and we hope to bring home some wins,” said Boyd.
Coach Amy Klyse, who earned her 100th win for the USD softball program on March 23, said the Coyotes will be focused and ready to face their rivals.
“The key to winning our game is scoring,” Klyse said. “We plan to score in at least four of the innings.”
The last time the Coyotes faced SDSU was a double-header on April 15, 2010.
The Coyotes were unable to bring a win home, losing both games. USD ended up losing the first game 2-5 and then losing the second game 1-2 in 8 innings.
Klyse said the team is looking to improve on the defensive side in order to beat the Jackrabbits.
“Defense is a weakness that we have been working on,” Klyse said. “If we can defend well and score, we can bring home a win.”
The Coyotes who are currently 7-23 overall, still are above .500 in the Summit League will look for a pair of wins against SDSU, who is win less in the Summit League so far this season.
Coach Klyse said the team is starting to see their bats heat up more and more.
“The girls really had a hitting slump in the beginning of the year,” Klyse said. “But we’re hitting better now, we will see what we can bring to them this weekend.”
