DENVER, Colo. – The Black Hills State University softball team split a doubleheader with Colorado School of Mines on Monday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets came back to win the first game of the day, 5-4, before falling, 3-0, in the second game.

BHSU 5, CSM 4

For the second straight day, the Yellow Jackets (4-7, 1-2 RMAC) started the game on the front foot, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Alex Wiley opened the inning with a base hit, before getting moved over with a sacrifice. Brittany Henricksen came up to bat and hit a single to left field, allowing Wiley to cross the plate. BHSU doubled its lead in the next at bat when Kindall Bethke scored on an error.

Mines (3-8, 2-1 RMAC) came back and tied the game in the third inning, scoring two runs with an RBI by Clara Larson. CSM then went ahead, 3-2, in the fifth, before adding an additional run in the top of the sixth to lead, 4-2.

The Yellow Jackets responded in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs to take a 5-4 lead. After Maddi Fidler, Samantha Gill, and Samantha Schoen all reached base to load the bases, Bryce Henricksen drew a one-out walk. Later, with two outs and the bases loaded, Wiley stepped up, hitting a single to center field, allowing Bryce Henricksen and Schoen to score to give the Green and Gold the lead. The Orediggers would get a two-out baserunner, but the Yellow Jacket defense held firm as they earned the first conference victory of the year.

Wiley finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Bethke, Fidler, Brittany Henricksen, and Schoen all recorded a hit in the game.

Wiley (3-3) earned the complete game victory for the Yellow Jackets. She allowed four runs (two earned) in seven innings.

CSM 3, BHSU 0

For the first time in the series, Mines scored first, striking for one run in the top of the second inning in the second game of the day.

The score would remain the same until the fifth inning, when the Orediggers added two insurance runs on a two-run home run by Megan Dickson. BHSU would get runners on in each of the final three innings, but were unable to capitalize, and ultimately fell, 3-0.

Wiley, Bethke, Crystal Amaral, and Brittany Henricksen each tallied a hit in the loss.

Amaral (1-2) took the loss in the circle for the Yellow Jackets. She allowed three runs in seven innings, striking out seven.

The Green and Gold will next be in action March 2-3 in Pueblo, Colorado. The tripod, originally scheduled to take place in Spearfish, will be hosted by CSU-Pueblo. Regis will be the third team in the pod. The first game on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

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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.

---BHSUAthletics.com---