ALAMOSA, Colo. – The Black Hills State University softball team split the final two games of their weekend RMAC series with Adams State on Sunday. The Yellow Jackets (4-15, 3-9 RMAC) defeated Adams State (4-14, 2-9 RMAC), 3-1 in the first game before falling in the series finale by a score of 20-9 in five innings.
 
BHSU 3, Adams State 1
 
The game was scoreless for the first three innings until Adams State struck first. In the top of the fourth, Kyrah Archibald put the Grizzlies on top by a score of 1-0 with an inside-the-park home run. The Yellow Jackets answered quickly as Maddie London homered to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Starting pitcher Crystal Amaral shut down Adams State the rest of the way, and the Yellow Jackets delivered with clutch hits in the bottom of the seventh inning for the second game in a row. After an Emily Marsden double, Kindall Bethke homered to left center, driving in two runs for the Green and Gold and giving them another walk-off victory over the Grizzlies.
 
London (1-for-3) and Bethke (1-for-3) both homered for the Green and Gold. Marsden (1-for-1) had one double, and Dominique DiManna went 2-for-2 in the game.
 
Crystal Amaral (2-6) went the distance in the circle for the Yellow Jackets. The sophomore pitched a gem, allowing only one earned run on three hits while striking out ten Grizzlies in the game.
 
Adams State 20, BHSU 9 (5 innings)
 
Adams State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Analiese Rodriguez drove in one run for the Grizzlies. The Yellow Jackets tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the second when Dominique DiManna drove in one run with a single to center field.
 
The Grizzlies responded quickly by scoring two runs in the top of the third on a Maya Ramos-Moreno double. Sydney Muniz then homered to drive in three more runs and give Adams State a 6-1 lead. The Grizzlies continued to distance themselves from the Yellow Jackets in the top of the fourth. Adams State scored one run on a ground-rule double from Shelby Haskins and added another run on a Ramos-Moreno single. Muniz then hit her second three-run home run of the game to put the Grizzlies on top 11-1.
 
The Green and Gold offense came to life in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Taryn Moan drove in two runs with a single to right field. Brittany Henricksen then singled to drive in another run for the Yellow Jackets. Maddie London drove in two more runs with a double to left field, and a Baileigh Hubbard single drove one more run across for the Green and Gold. Kindall Bethke pulled the Yellow Jackets closer to the Grizzlies with a two-run home run, and after four innings the Adams State lead had been trimmed to 11-9.
 
However, the scoring continued for Adams State in the top of the fifth inning. Five hits from the Grizzlies were aided by four errors from the Yellow Jackets, allowing Adams State to score nine more runs. Trailing by a score of 20-9 in the bottom half of the fifth, the Green and Gold were unable to drive home any runs and extend the game beyond five innings.
 
Moan (2-for-4) drove in two runs, and Bethke (1-for-2) had two RBIs with a home run. London went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, Samantha Schoen (1-for-2) hit a double, and Hubbard had two hits for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Breanne Henricksen (0-4) took the loss for the Green and Gold. The junior threw 4.0 innings, giving up eleven runs (ten earned) while striking out one. Halie Litwin gave up nine runs (three earned) in 1.0 inning of action.
 
The Green and Gold will hit the road again next weekend for another four-game RMAC series. The Yellow Jackets head to Golden, Colorado to take on the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers. Games begin on Saturday, March 14 with contests at noon and 2 p.m. The series will conclude on March 15 with games scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.