GILLETTE, Wyo. -- March 24, 2018 -- The Chadron State College softball team won its first four-game series in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this season, splitting Saturday's doubleheader with the host Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets. Each one of the four games was decided by exactly one run, with the Eagles taking three and the home team one.
"Overall, I'm really proud of this group of ladies for going 3-1 on the road," said Head Softball Coach
Kaley Scearcy. "With that said, we still aren't satisfied, and we know there are areas in which we need to improve. We look forward to the opportunities to get better this week in practice, in order to prepare for the upcoming games against Colorado Christian."
Jessica Jarecki, CSC's sophomore number one pitcher, struck out 12 batters and allowed six hits in 11 innings, improving to 7-9 in game three of the series beginning Saturday morning.
The two teams went to eight in a 2-2 tie, and the score lasted three full innings, before the Eagles broke it open in the eleventh.
Ellie Owens doubled,
Francine Boston sac bunted her to third, and
Kendyl Moody's single in the third at-bat of the inning sent Owens home for the winning RBI.
BHSU freshman pitcher Melissa Gellerman fell to 3-9 despite twirling 18 strikeouts.
The afternoon game saw Black Hills score two in the first inning, on a wild pitch and a struck batter.
CSC sophomore pitcher
Megan Horn held on to allow four hits and no runs over the final five frames, but the Eagles managed only one unearned run in the seventh, leaving the bases loaded in a 2-1 Yellow Jacket win. Horn went to 4-8 on the year.
BHSU's Alex Wiley improved to 3-6 with the win.
Chadron State is now 11-18 (9-10 RMAC) and sixth in the RMAC standings, pending Sunday's RMAC schedule. CSC leaps Black Hills State at 6-18 (6-10 RMAC), who fell to ninth.
Colorado Christian visits Chadron on Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend to test the Eagles in a big way. CCU's much improved team, which is undefeated in league play and has won 25 of its last 26 games overall.
The Eagles and Cougars start at noon on Friday.