KANSAS CITY, Mo. (USD) —South Dakota catcher Jordyn Pender hit a walk-off, two-run home run for a 5-3 win in game one and the Coyotes rolled to a 10-2, five-inning win in game two to take the first two games of a three-game series against Kansas City Saturday at Urban Youth Academy. Game three is 11 a.m. Sunday.

Pender’s game winner was her third home run of the season and 10th of her collegiate career. It came after Kansas City (5-29, 0-5 Summit) scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh to knot the game at 3-3. Pender fouled off two pitches with a two-strike count before launching one just over the wall in left centerfield.

The blast made a winner out of starting pitcher Clara Edwards (9-6) who won her third straight decision to begin Summit League play. Edwards scattered nine hits and allowed just one earned run while striking out three. Both teams totaled nine hits in game one.

South Dakota third baseman Aleesia Sainz played a role in the first three runs of game one and came back to drive in four runs in game two. Sainz singled in the first inning of game one, stole second and scored when the throw down sailed into center field and went between the fielder’s legs. Sainz used a groundout to score Charis Black in the second inning and extended USD’s lead to 3-1 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that scored Black for the second time.

The first four hitters in South Dakota’s lineup combined to go 10-for-12 with nine runs and seven RBIs in game two. Tatum Villotta was 3-for-3 and scored three times. Coutney Wilson was 3-for-3 and led USD with five hits Saturday. Sainz had an RBI double, a two-run triple and an RBI groundout in a 2-for-3 effort. Bela Goerke hit a no-doubt home run to center field – her fourth of the season – in a four-run fourth inning that gave USD a 10-1 lead.

South Dakota pitcher Kori Wedeking (5-8) took care of the rest. She allowed six hits and one earned run with four strikeouts in tossing her seventh complete game of the season. It was Wedeking’s first start of conference play.

The result evens South Dakota’s overall record to 15-15 on the season. The Coyotes are 4-0 in Summit League play.