GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Facing the 19^th-ranked team in the nation, the Black Hills State University softball team fell in a doubleheader to Colorado Mesa University Friday in Grand Junction, Colorado.
 
The Mavericks push their win streak to 22 games after the Yellow Jackets split with New Mexico Highlands last weekend. Black Hills State falls to 5-25 overall and 3-19 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as CMU improves to 30-4 overall and 23-2 in the loop.
 
Kindall Bethke tallied a team-best three hits between the two games while Katelyn Odle had a pair of hits including a double.
 
Game One: Colorado Mesa 7 Black Hills State 1
 
The Mavericks jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the first three innings, scoring the first run of the game on a double from Brooke Hodgson. She doubled AnnMarie Torres home. Hodgson then scored on a Kaila Jacobi single for a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
 
The Mavericks then tacked on three more runs when Baylee Boren hit a bases clearing double up the middle in the third inning.
 
Black Hills State broke up the shutout in the fourth inning when Bethke singled into right field to get a Yellow Jacket runner on-base. Maddie London doubled into right field, pushing Bethke to third base, setting up Odle for a single into right field to score Bethke.
 
However, the Mavericks proved to be too much, tallying two more runs for the 7-1 victory.
 
Odle went 2-for-2 in the game as Bethke was 2-for-3 with the run scored. Lexi Baker, Claire Fergusson and London each tallied a hit as part of the Yellow Jackets seven hits in the game.
 
Alex Wiley was charged with the loss for BHSU after striking out two in the complete game effort. She falls to 3-11 as McKenzie Surface earned the victory for CMU to improve to 17-3.
 
Game Two: Colorado Mesa 14 Black Hills State 0
 
The Yellow Jackets offense stalled out and was unable to recover from a Mavericks seven-run first inning. BHSU totaled four hits, one each from Makenzi Strong, Baker, Bethke and Fergusson in the loss. Strong's hit was a double into left-center field in the first inning.
 
In the fifth inning, the Yellow Jackets threatened to break up the shutout as Fergusson singled through the left side and then was pushed to second base as Baker hit an infield single to the shortstop. However, Kimbri Herring proved why she is undefeated on the season in the circle as she got out of the jam to improve to 9-0.
 
Stefanie Witman was charged with the loss and falls to 2-13 on the season. The two teams meet again Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.