SPEARIFSH, S.D. – For the second-straight day, the Black Hills State University softball team split with Fort Lewis College for a series split. The visiting Skyhawks won game one 7-1 while the Yellow Jackets took game two 7-0.

Black Hills State was aided in game two behind Stefanie Witman's first career shutout as she gave up six hits and struck out two while giving up no runs.

The Yellow Jackets close the weekend with a 6-15 overall record and 6-10 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Fort Lewis is 8-21 overall and 5-11 in the conference cycle.

Game One: Fort Lewis 7 Black Hills State 1

The Yellow Jackets had just four hits while Fort Lewis scored two runs in the first, two in the third, two in the fourth and added another run in the sixth inning to open a 7-0 lead on 12 hits.

The Yellow Jackets got their run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alex Wiley was on third base, thanks to a double into right center field and was pushed to third base after a Kelsea Nash single and Erica Everson hit by pitch. The next batter was Lauren Lesniak, who hit a towering fly ball into left field, which was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to score Wiley.

However that was the only offense Black Hills State saw in the loss. Carlee Beck pitched five innings, giving up 10 hits and four earned runs. Jo-Jo Curry made her collegiate pitching debut, pitching two innings in relief, giving up two hits and a run.

Game Two: Black Hills State 7 Fort Lewis 0

Thanks to stellar pitching performance from Witman, the Yellow Jackets only needed one of their seven runs but broke out the bats anyways as they compiled 11 hits over their six batted innings. Katie Campo went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored while Wiley and Kately Odle each tallied two hits apiece.

Black Hills State picked up their first run of the game in the second inning when Campo doubled home Odle from second base. In the fourth inning, the Yellow Jackets tacked on four runs on five hits to take a commanding 5-0 lead.

The inning started with an Odle double to center field. After a popout for the first out of the inning, Jo-Jo Curry singled and Campo doubled down the right field line to score Odle while Curry advanced to third. Curry then scored on a passed ball.  

Morgan Smith walked while Alex Wiley singled into centerfield scoring Campo. After another popout, Erica Everson singled into left field to score Smith from third for the four-run outburst.

The Green and Gold tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Lesniak hit a screaming line dive into left field, just missing a home run, which scored Claire Fergusson from second base. A batter later, Odle singled into left centerfield to score Everson.

But the story of the afternoon was Witman, who pitched her best game in her career giving up just the six hits over seven innings and walking one to earn her team-leading fourth victory of the year and lower her ERA to 2.82, which would rank her top-five in the RMAC entering Sunday's action.

The Yellow Jackets travel to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Saturday and Sunday. Games are scheduled noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday.