SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University softball team is set to play Metropolitan State University of Denver in a four-game series this weekend. The Sunday-Monday series will be played at Energy Sports Complex in Gillette, Wyoming.
Scouting the Roadrunners (23-19, 18-10 RMAC)
MSU Denver, located in Denver, Colorado, most recently swept Chadron State in a four-game series, outscoring the Eagles 10-1.
The Roadrunners are hitting .305 as a team, led by Kristyn Peters, who bats .353 with a team high seven home runs and 34 RBI. Five other players hit above .300, including Annika Anderson (.325) and Megan Sansburn (.359) who each have four homers. Koryna Wright (.320) has a squad leading 10 doubles.
The MSUD pitching staff has a 4.16 combined earned run average. Kylee Burnside (7-7) leads the team with a 3.72 ERA. She has thrown 11 complete games, with 69 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched. Darby McGhee (10-8) has a 4.21 earned run average, striking out 66 batters in 108.0 innings of work. Destinee Lopez (4-4) also gets time in the circle, and holds a 4.78 ERA with 55.2 IP.
The Roadrunners are currently in fourth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Last Time Out
The Yellow Jackets (8-20, 8-12 RMAC) split a four-game series with New Mexico Highlands. The Yellow Jackets hit 10 home runs over the four games, including eight in the doubleheader sweep on Sunday.
Maddie London hit three home runs in a 15-5 victory, while
Maddi Fidler had two dingers in the game, and three on the weekend.
Melissa Gellermann and
Kindall Bethke each had two homers over the weekend. Gellermann and
Alex Wiley each earned complete game victories for the Green and Gold.
Jacket Leaders
Katelyn Odle leads BHSU with a .367 batting average, hitting 10 doubles during the season. Maddi Fidler (.333) and Kindall Bethke (.271) are tied for the team lead with six home runs each. Fidler leads the squad with 17 runs batted in.
The Yellow Jackets have a team earned run average of 5.61. Alex Wiley (4-7) has a 3.89 ERA. She has thrown six complete games, striking out 26 in 63.0 innings of work. Melissa Gellermann (4-10) holds a 4.71 ERA. She has struck out 87 in 99.2 IP, throwing nine complete games.
Senior Weekend
This weekend's games will serve as Senior Weekend for the lone Yellow Jacket senior, Claire Fergusson. Fergusson, a four-year starter, will be honored before Sunday's games.
Player of the Week
Maddie London earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors after her play March 30-31 against New Mexico Highlands. London hit three home runs in a 15-5 victory over the Cowgirls, driving in five runs.
Next Up
After the four-game series with the Roadrunners, the Yellow Jackets will hit the road for the final two series of the regular season. The Green and Gold are scheduled to play a four-game series against Regis on April 21-22. Saturday's doubleheader is set to begin at noon, while first pitch on Sunday is scheduled for 11 a.m.
