SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University softball team saw its offensive come to life Saturday but fell in a pair of games to Chadron State College, 6-1 and 2-1.
The Yellow Jackets out hit CSC 6-4 in game two and collected five other hits in the days first game.
Black Hills State greeted faculty with an Faculty Appreciation Day as select professors took the field with the Yellow Jacket players while being introduced as part of the starting line ups.
The Yellow Jackets fall to 6-26 overall and 6-21 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference while the RMAC's third place team, the Eagles, improve to 25-15-1 overall and 18-9 in the loop.
Game One: Chadron State 6 Black Hills State 1
The visitor's got out to a 4-0 lead over the first four innings when the Yellow Jackets scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Kelsea Nash coaxed a walk and was pinch ran for by Morgan Smith who advanced to second base on a Carlee Beck ground out. Smith then moved to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a second-straight wild pitch.
Of the Yellow Jackets five hits, Alex Wiley had two of them while Erica Everson, Katie Campo and Jo-Jo Curry had the other three.
Wiley was the pitcher of record, giving up three earned runs over three innings and striking out three. Taylor Hall won her 14th game of the season for CSC, pitching the complete game.
Game Two: Chadron State 2Black Hills State 1
In a thriller, the Yellow Jackets fell just short while outhitting Chadron State 6-4.
Chadron State scored an unearned run in the top of the first and the Yellow Jackets tied it up in the bottom half. Claire Fergusson hit a single that ricocheted off the pitcher and was pushed to second base on an Everson ground out.
When Lauren Lesniak hit a sharp single into right field, Fergusson was running on contact and scored easily for the game-tying run.
The Eagles hit the go-ahead run in the top of the fifth when Taylor Bauer hit a home run into left-center field.
The Yellow Jackets threatened to score in the bottom of the seventh when Morgan Smith singled into left field and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. She got moved to third on a Wiley ground out. With two outs, Nash pinch hit and hit a hard grounder to the Chadron State second basemen who made a great play and threw to first base for the final out of the game.
Stefanie Witman started the game for the Yellow Jackets, giving up just four hits and one earned run while striking out three. Beck pitched in relief for two innings not giving up a single base runner. Cierra Cosslett was the pitcher of record for Chadron State, giving up six hits and an earned run.
Six different Yellow Jackets had a hit in the game including Fergusson, Everson, Lesniak, Campo, Witman and Smith.
Black Hills State steps out of conference action on Tuesday, traveling to Dickinson State for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
