COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Black Hills State University softball team fell in a doubleheader to University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Sunday afternoon to wrap up the 2018 season. The Yellow Jackets (9-31, 9-23 RMAC) fell in the first game, 8-0, in five innings, before the Mountain Lions (27-25, 22-18 RMAC) walked off the second game, 6-5, in the bottom of the seventh.   

In a season made complicated by extreme weather, the Green and Gold finish the year just missing out on the conference tournament. Multiple records were set, including most home runs in a game (3, Maddie London) and most strikeouts in a game (18, Melissa Gellermann). Claire Fergusson finishes her career with most games played (166), while the team won an RMAC series on the road for the first time, when they took three-of-four from Colorado School of Mines.

UCCS 8, BHSU 0 (5 innings)
The first inning remained scoreless before the Mountain Lions jumped on top, 6-0, in the second inning. In the third, UCCS loaded the bases, but BHSU was able to escape with no damage down. The Yellow Jackets then got two runners aboard in the top of fourth, but were unable to push any runs across. The home team capitalized, bringing home two insurance runs in the bottom of the inning, to go up 8-0.  

Maddie London recorded the lone hit for the Yellow Jackets.

Breanne Henricksen (0-1) took the loss in the circle. She allowed six runs in 1.2 innings. Paige McGuire threw 2.0 innings, allowing two runs, while Melissa Gellermann threw the final 0.1 scoreless innings.

UCCS 6, BHSU 5
The Mountain Lions got out in front, 4-0, in the first inning, before the Yellow Jackets got one run in the second inning, when Brittany Henricksen came around to score when Claire Fergusson singled. The Green and Gold added another run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Brittany Henricksen.

UCCS added one run in the bottom of the third, but BHSU scored three runs of its own in the fourth inning. Kindall Bethke, Katelyn Odle, and Maddi Fidler each picked up RBI in the inning to tie the game, 5-5.

When neither team was able to plate another run, the teams entered the seventh still knotted up. The Yellow Jackets were unable to get a threat going in the top of the inning. Rayle Glover opened the bottom of the inning with a double for UCCS, and moved over to third on a single. With one out, she came across to score on a wild pitch, earning the walk-off victory for the Mountain Lions.

Bethke and Odle each recorded two hits in the game, while Fidler, London, Brittany Henricksen, and Fergusson each had one hit.

Melissa Gellermann (5-15) took the loss for the Yellow Jackets. She allowed six runs (five earned) in 6.1 innings of work, striking out three.
 
  Black Hills State is located in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota, sponsoring 13 NCAA sports with membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the NCAA emerging sport of women's triathlon and NIRA rodeo. For all information regarding Yellow Jacket Athletics, please visit BHSUAthletics.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @BHSUAthletics.