CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – Black Hills State softball split Sunday's doubleheader with New Mexico Highlands, winning the first game 6-2, and dropping the second, 13-10.

The Yellow Jackets (1-1, 1-1 RMAC) won game one behind Crystal Amaral on the rubber and a trio of home runs. Game two saw more offense from both teams, but BHSU would fall just short.

Bell Luebken finished the day going 4-8 with two home runs and a walk, along with three RBI and three runs scored.

Amaral went 3-8 at the plate with a home run and three RBI over both games, while also throwing seven innings of two-run, five-hit ball and striking out 12 in game one.

McKayla Perry finished 3-5 on the day with a home run and three RBI, and Lizzy Johnson drove in one on three hits in five at-bats.

Game One (W, 6-2)
NMHU got on the board first, driving a pair of runs across in the top of the first, but those would be the only runs Amaral and the Yellow Jackets would allow the rest of the game.

BHSU cut into the Cowgirl lead in the bottom half of the frame with a Luebken solo home run to make it 2-1 through one. Two innings later, Amaral helped herself out, slugging a two-run home run to go ahead 3-2 in the third.

The Yellow Jackets played add-on as Perry added another two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, extending the lead to 5-2. Then, BHSU added one more in the sixth as a Johnson single drove in Bryce Henricksen to make it 6-2, a lead that would hold the rest of the way.

Game Two (L, 13-10)
The Cowgirls were the first to score again in game two, driving in two in the first and three in the second to take an early 5-0 lead. Luebken cut into that lead in the bottom of the third with a two-run shot, making it 5-2.

After NMHU made it 6-2 in the fourth, the Yellow Jackets used a six-run fifth inning to take an 8-6 lead. In the frame, BHSU plated a pair on an error before singles from Amaral and Emily Marsden locked the score at 6-6 and another error made it 8-6.

In the top of the seventh, the Cowgirls took back the lead using a grand slam, a double and a two-run home run, and held a 13-8 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. The Yellow Jackets would rally in the last of the seventh and drive across a pair, but it wouldn't be enough as they ultimately fell 13-10.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return to the field tomorrow, playing two more against NMHU, with first pitches scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.