SPEARFISH, S.D.—Undesirable weather conditions were on the horizon for the Black Hills State University softball team on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets knew rain could possibly wash out their doubleheader against University of Colorado Colorado Springs at the BHSU Softball Complex.
Mother nature decided to hold out until after the conclusion of the contests, allowing the Mountain Lions and Yellow Jackets to complete both games. BHSU kicked-off Senior Day with an 11-3 game one victory over UCCS before falling to them 3-2 in game two.
BHSU wraps up the 2015 season with a 12-35, 7-29 RMAC record. The Yellow Jackets' seven conference victories is a new school record.
Yellow Jackets 11, UCCS 3
The Mountain Lions tallied three first inning runs en route to a 3-0 lead, but the Yellow Jackets responded with 11 unanswered runs.
The Yellow Jackets matched the Mountain Lion's three runs in the bottom of the first inning when Cassie Smith singled and Erica Everson was hit by a pitch with two outs. Alexis Shaffer drove in Smith and Everson with a three-run home run to tie the game 3-3.
The second inning proved to be the cherry on top as BHSU notched five runs to take an 8-3 lead. RBI hits from Nia Shumpert, Rebecca Green, Katie Campo, and Shaffer paced the five-run inning for the Yellow Jackets.
The fourth inning saw the Yellow Jackets chip in a run. Everson walked and Shaffer reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. Kayla Hallock, Everson's pinch runner, scored from third when UCCS pitcher Hayley Miller balked, making the score 9-3.
BHSU scored a pair of fifth inning runs to close the game via the eight-run rule. Shumpert reached on an error, followed by walks from Smith and Everson loaded the bases.
Shumpert touched home plate when Shaffer reached on a fielder's choice to make the score 10-3. Smith scored on the play thanks to a UCCS throwing error to widen the Yellow Jacket lead to 11-3.
Shaffer's two hits led BHSU at the plate.
Beck went the distance on the rubber. She surrendered three runs (none earned) on six hits.
UCCS 3, Yellow Jackets 2
It took both teams until the fifth inning to decide who was going to strike first. It was UCCS who took the 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Rayle Glover reached on a fielder's choice, stole second, and then scored on Nikki Hoffman's RBI-single.
The Yellow Jackets responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Shumpert singled, stole second, and then scored on Everson's single to tie the game 1-1.
Reagan McCurn, Everson's pinch runner, stole second and scored on a Mountain Lion throwing error to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 lead.
The Mountain Lions were able to match that with a pair of sixth inning runs when Kylie Barnard reached on an error. Jordyn Cusimano, Barnard's pinch runner, advanced to second base on a wild pitch before scoring on Tressa Radach's RBI-single to tie the game 2-2.
Paige Duncan gave UCCS a 3-2 lead when she walked and advanced on a fielder's choice before scoring on Glover's RBI-single.
Shumpert's registered a pair of hits to lead BHSU offensively. Stefanie Witman went the distance in the pitching circle and gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits.
Shumpert, Smith, Shaffer, Green, and Katherine Drake played their final game in a Yellow Jacket uniform.
