SPEARFISH, S.D.—The Black Hills State and Western New Mexico University softball teams were victims of a rain delay from the get-go on Sunday morning. Pushing the games to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. seemed to coincide with Mother Nature as sunshine hit the surface of Spearfish at 12:00 p.m.
The sunshine didn't come with positive results on behalf of the Yellow Jackets as they dropped a pair of games to Western New Mexico University by scores of 11-8 and 13-11.
BHSU falls to 4-17, 3-13 RMAC while the Mustangs improve to 14-17, 11-9 RMAC.
Western New Mexico 11, Yellow Jackets 8
Things were looking to turn around from yesterday when Nia Shumpert torched back-to-back inside the park home runs. Shumpert's first round tripper came in the first inning while her second occurred in the third inning.
Her stellar play kept BHSU in the game with the score being 6-3 through three innings of play.
However, the Mustangs responded with a run in the fourth inning and followed that with a four-run fifth inning. A Samantha Munoz single, Lacy Granger walk, and a Davi Martin single loaded the bases. Munoz came around to score when Alicia Enriquez reached on a fielder's choice to make the score 8-3.
Lacy Granger later scored on a throw to make the score 9-3. Martin scored on a Linzy Granger groundout to widen the margin to 10-3. Mariangela Garcia closed the fifth inning with an RBI-double that scored Enriquez to make the score 11-3.
BHSU mounted a small comeback, but it wouldn't be enough. Kaitlin Farrar's two-run homer in the fifth inning narrowed the margin to 11-6. Alexis Shaffer added another two-run bomb in the seventh inning to make the score 11-8, but that's where things stood.
Carlee Beck and Stefanie Witman each saw time in the circle for the Yellow Jackets. Shaffer, Everson and Shumpert each registered a pair of hits to lead BHSU offensively.
Western New Mexico 13, Yellow Jackets 11
Offense proved to be the story line in game two as well. The Mustangs touched the Yellow Jackets up for five runs in the first inning to take a 5-0 lead.
BHSU slowly mounted a comeback and got the score within 6-5 after the third inning. RBI-hits from Rebecca Green and Stefanie Witman anchored the BHSU comeback that got them within one run in the third inning.
The Mustangs jumped back into the lead when they added three runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to extend their lead to 12-5. Everson knocked in a pair of runs for BHSU in the sixth inning to close in on the Mustangs 12-7.
After the Mustangs added a run in the seventh inning to make the score 13-7, the Yellow jackets mounted a comeback.
A Cassie Smith walk followed by Campo being hit by a pitch put runners on base for Green. Green delivered with a three-run blast to narrow the margin to 13-10 in the seventh inning.
Katherine Drake later singled and came around to score on Shaffer's bases-loaded walk to make the score 13-11, but that's all BHSU could muster.
Farrar, Witman, and Carrie Clarke all saw time on the rubber for BHSU.
Claire Fergusson's three hits led BHSU at the plate.
The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday, Mar. 28 in Denver, Colo. BHSU will face New Mexico Highlands at 1:00 p.m. and MSU-Denver at 3:00 p.m.
