SPEARFISH, S.D.—A cold blustery afternoon was in store for the Black Hills State University softball team against Colorado Christian University on Sunday afternoon. Despite the Cougars opening the game with a triple and home run, the Yellow Jackets held their own defensively. Enough to help them secure a 7-2 win in game one.
The Yellow Jackets weren't able to respond in game two as they fell to Colorado Christian University 9-0.
BHSU currently sports a 7-30, 4-24 RMAC record while Colorado Christian University owns a 20-22, 13-11 RMAC mark.
Yellow Jackets 7, Colorado Christian 2
The Cougars had BHSU on their toes from the get-go thanks to the duo of Jessica Romine and Kristina Billante. Romine led off the first inning with a triple, followed by a Billante home run to give Colorado Christian a 2-0 lead.
Those were the only runs BHSU pitcher Carlee Beck would surrender as the Yellow Jackets scored seven unanswered runs.
Cassie Smith led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and scored on Erica Everson's home run to tie the game 2-2.
BHSU took the lead for good in the fourth inning when Rebecca Green hit a home run to center field to make the score 3-2. Everson added her second home run of the game in the fifth inning to extend the Yellow Jacket lead to 4-2.
The Yellow Jackets sealed the Cougar's fate in the sixth inning. Campo doubled and came around to score on Rebecca Green's single to make the score 5-2. Green would score on a Kaitlin Farrar single widen the margin to 6-2. Nia Shumpert's RBI-single scored Farrar to make the score 7-2.
Beck surrendered two runs on six hits in five complete innings of work. Shumpert, Campo, Green, and Everson each tallied two hits for the Yellow Jackets.
Colorado Christian 9, Yellow Jackets 0
BHSU's stellar offensive performance from game one didn't carry over as they only registered two hits in this outing.
The Cougars scored their first two runs in the first inning when Jessica Romine reached on an error, stole second and advanced to third when Stephanie Tatham reached on an error.
That paved the way for Alexa Coffing's two-run single that scored Valenzuela (who walked) and Romine to give Colorado Christian a 2-0 lead.
The Cougars added four runs in the second inning. A Danielle Romine single followed by back-to-back walks from Jessica Romine and Billante loaded the bases. After Sarah Rasmussen reached on a fielder's choice to keep the bases loaded, Letty Valenzuela hit a grand slam to extend the Cougar lead to 6-0.
Dana Rex led off the third inning with a walk. She advanced to second base on an illegal pitch, to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a BHSU error to make the score 7-0.
The Cougars chipped a run in each the fourth and fifth inning to secure a 9-0 victory.
Alexis Shaffer and Katherine Drake each collected a single for the Yellow Jackets. Farrar took the pitching loss for BHSU. She gave up six runs (four earned) on three hits in two complete innings.
Erica Everson's two home runs on the day gives her ten on the season. She is one home run away from tying Brittany Montgomery's (2007) Black Hills State University single season record of 11.
Shumpert is one hit shy of tying Allie Alverson's (2012) BHSU single season hits record of 47.
The Yellow Jackets will return to action on Saturday, April 18 at CSU-Pueblo. Game times are set for 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
