SPEARFISH, S.D.—The Black Hills State University softball team entered their final two road contests at CSU-Pueblo on Sunday afternoon with a chip on their shoulder. After a pair of heartbreaking 3-0 and 12-2 losses to the Thunderwolves on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets continued to knock on their door.
That door didn't shed any light as BHSU fell to CSU-Pueblo 3-2 and 13-7 on Sunday afternoon. The losses drop BHSU to 7-34, 4-28 RMAC while the Thunderwolves up their record to 23-21, 19-13 RMAC.
CSU-Pueblo 3, Yellow Jackets 2
Carrie Clarke kept the game 0-0 until the sixth inning. With plenty of help from the BHSU defense, Clarke surrendered three runs on five hits in six complete innings. However, those three runs came at the most crucial time.
BHSU set the tone in the sixth inning with a pair of runs. Claire Fergusson reached on an error and came around to score on Nia Shumpert's RBI-double to give the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead.
Everson came through with an RBI-single that scored Shumpert from second base to widen the BHSU lead to 2-0.
CSU-Pueblo answered with three runs and won via the walk-off. Madison Wolfe's seventh inning double paved the way for a Dora Hernandez two-run home run to tie the game 2-2.
A Moriah Turney walk followed by a Jasmine Vogel bunt single put runners on base for Kennedy Smith. Smith prevailed with a walk-off single that scored Turney to give CSU-Pueblo a 3-2 victory.
Shumpert, Fergusson, Rebecca Green and Stefanie Witman each registered a hit for the Yellow Jackets.
CSU-Pueblo 13, Yellow Jackets 7
Back-to-back singles from Erica Everson and Green in the first inning set up Katie Campo's three-run home run to give BHSU a 3-0 lead.
That lead was short-lived as the Thunderwolves touched the Yellow Jackets up for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an 8-3 lead.
The Yellow Jackets cut the Thunderwolves' lead to three runs in the fourth inning. A Katherine Drake fielder's choice followed by a Fergusson infield single but runners on first and second base.
Drake and Fergusson eventually scored on Green's two-run double to cut the margin to 8-5. The Thunderwolves responded with four runs in the fifth inning to widen their lead to 12-5.
Shumpert' sixth inning triple gives her 48 hits on the season, breaking a BHSU single-season record. This triple knocked in Drake, who doubled, to make the score 12-6. Everson plated Shumpert with an RBI-double to narrow the score to 12-7.
The Thunderwolves responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 13-7.
Green, Everson, Campo and Fergusson each contributed two hits for the Yellow Jackets. Kaitlin Farrar took the pitching loss for BHSU.
BHSU will return to the Yellow Jacket Softball Complex on Thursday, April 23 when they host Dickinson State University in a non-conference tilt. Game times are set for 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.