COMMERCE – On a foggy Monday morning at the John Cain Family Softball Complex, the East Texas A&M University softball team suffered an 8-0 setback in five innings to the South Dakota Coyotes.
 
The Lions are 3-12 on the season, while the Coyotes are 9-5 overall. East Texas A&M and South Dakota played five teams this season with the Coyotes winning four of the five games.
 
Tatum Villota tripled to center field to lead off the game and came around to score on the play due to a Lion throwing error. After a line out, Delaney White singled through the right side and Clara Edwards drew a walk. Abi Brown brought everyone home with a home run to left, her first of the season.
 
In the third, White led off the inning with a double to center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Edwards. After a walk, White scored on a fielder's choice by Campbell German, for the fifth run in the game for the Coyotes.
 
Autumn Iversen singled to short in the fourth, followed by a double to right center by Brooke Carey, as Iversen scored on the play. Following a Lion pitching change and a flyout, Villota drew a walk.
 
Brylee Hempey came in as a pinch runner for Carey and advanced to third and White was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Edwards doubled to left center, plating both Villota and Hempey.
 
White went 2 for 2 with two runs scored for the Coyotes, while Maddie Cason (Honey Grove), Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.), and KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.) had a hit each in the game for the Lions.
 
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) fell to 0-5 in the circle for the Lions, allowing four earned runs in 0.1 innings, while Clara Edwards struck out four in the complete-game shutout and is now 4-3 on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions play their first games away from home this season on Friday at UT Arlington as part of the Maverick Invitational, facing Prairie View A&M at 2 p.m. and the hosts, Mavericks, at 4:30 p.m.