CHADRON, Neb. -- March 15, 2018 -- Chadron State College softball travels to Pueblo, Colorado this weekend for a four-game series at Colorado State University-Pueblo, in what should be a critical series for both teams.

The Eagles, at 4-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and eighth in the league standings, meet the sixth, ranked ThunderWolves, who are 5-7 in the conference. Both sides are 6-15 overall and in a three-team jam in the middle of the standings.

Pueblo unveiled a new turf playing surface on its home field on Wednesday, losing 9-2 and 8-0 to 15th-ranked West Texas A&M in their home-opening doubleheader.

Together with the final three games in a series at Adams State last weekend, the pair of midweek losses puts CSUP on a five-game skid. CSC lost a 3-1 home series with Regis last weekend, but finished on a positive note with a win.

The Eagles will look to revive their offensive output against a CSU-Pueblo bullpen that allows a .360 batting average against it. Pueblo's starting pitchers K'Lee Kent and Hannah Anderson are both approximately at the same number, individually, for the season. Each is allowing just over five earned runs per game.

The ThunderWolves have a couple of potent batters in junior catcher Michaela Burpee and sophomore utility player Gabby Moreno. Burpee leads the team with a .413 batting average and is tied for the team high with 13 RBI. Moreno bats .395 with a team best 14 runs scored, and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases, also the best on the squad.

Pueblo has a league-best 10 triples on the season, however they have only three home runs, which ranks last, so far in 2018.

Chadron State's pitching staff, while not reflected in the team's record, remains among the elite units in the league with the No. 2 batting average allowed (.230) and No. 3 staff ERA (3.31).

The Eagles, streaky hitters at times, now trail the other 11 RMAC teams with a .252 team batting average, but are fourth with 19 home runs.

The doubleheaders are scheduled for noon on Saturday, March 17, and at 11 a.m. on Sunday.