SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University softball team is set to travel to Regis University for a four-game series this weekend. The Yellow Jackets and Rangers will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 21, before playing two on Sunday, April 22.

Scouting the Rangers (27-17, 22-10 RMAC)
Regis University, located in Denver, Colorado, most recently fell in three of four games to Colorado Mesa. However, the Rangers did hand the Mavericks their first loss of the season in the final game of the series, winning 4-1.

The Rangers are hitting .311 as a team, led by Jaiden Johnson, who holds a .439 batting average. Johnson, Analece Apodaca (.387), and Emily John (.283) each have seven home runs to lead the squad. Apodaca has a team-high 34 runs batted in, while Lauren Hernandez (.340) has six homers.

The RU pitching staff has a combined earned run average of 3.65. Logan Losh (15-7) has a 2.22 ERA, striking out 107 batters in 135.2 innings pitched. She has thrown 18 complete games and five shutouts. Logan Armitage (11-10) holds a 4.37 earned run average. In 22 starts, she has thrown 14 complete games, striking out 46 in 125.0 innings.

The Rangers currently sit in third place in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.

The Last Time Out
The Yellow Jackets (9-23, 9-15 RMAC) won one of four games against MSU Denver last weekend. The games were played in Gillette, Wyoming. The Roadrunners won both games on Sunday (7-1, 5-4), and the first game on Monday (15-2). However, BHSU took the final game of the series, 10-9, in eight innings.

Down 9-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Maddie London hit a two-run homer, followed by a home run by Maddi Fidler that tied the game, 9-9. In the bottom of the eighth, London came up again with one out and the bases loaded. She hit a walk-off single to left field to give the Green and Gold the win.

Jacket Leaders
Maddi Fidler leads the Green and Gold with a .378 batting average and eight homers. She also leads the squad with 22 runs batted in. Three other Jackets are hitting over .300, while Kindall Bethke (.290) has six home runs. Katelyn Odle (.372) has a team-leading 11 doubles.  

The Yellow Jackets have a team earned run average of 5.83. Alex Wiley (4-8) has a 3.90 ERA, striking out 26 batters in 75.1 innings. Melissa Gellermann (5-12) has a 5.22 earned run average. The freshman has struck out 92 in 112.2 innings pitched.  

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 Rangers, the Yellow Jackets will wrap up the regular season at University of Colorado Colorado Springs on April 28-29.