CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State couldn't keep with Black Hills State's well-oiled offense, losing a 13-11 slugfest before falling 8-0 in the finale as the two schools concluded a four-game RMAC softball series. 

The Eagles (3-22, 3-13) set new season-highs with 11 runs, 15 hits, three doubles and a .405 team batting average for the game in Saturday's opener, but CSC was still outpaced by the Yellow Jackets (13-14, 10-6 RMAC), who completed the four-game sweep with their pair of wins.

CSC's offense erupted on its Cancer Awareness gameday, shortly after a pregame ceremony honored Chadron State softball parent Scott Sebbo and CSC alum Fred Hunn among other past and present cancer fighters.

Chadron State had numerous offensive stars in game one. Two Eagles drove in three runs apiece – Tiffani Mein (3-for-4) and Brianna Cordray (2-for-5). Macie Selfors also had a three-hit game for CSC while the lineup's 2-3-4 hitters in Selfors, Elizabeth Thorngren and Payton Sullivan each scored three runs. 

The key point on the day was a seven-run third inning for Black Hills State in which all Yellow Jacket runs were unearned, with starting pitcher McKenna Sides extremely unlucky to not survive the frame. 

The inning began innocuously with two flyouts sandwiched around a fielding error by second baseman Charley Pitrat. The Yellow Jackets tried to have the baserunner steal second base and it appeared that the Eagles were out of the inning when the runner was called out on the field. 

However, all three umpires convened and overturned the call, giving BHSU a stolen base. Already with an extra out from the error, Black Hills State took advantage of the restart to their offensive inning and unleashed a torrent of offense with two walks, two singles and two home runs over the next six batters to take a 9-1 lead. 

Chadron State's offense did not go away quietly. The Eagles got three runs back in the bottom of the third when Brianna Cordray hit an RBI bases-loaded groundout and Brogan Allen came through with a two-out, two-run, pinch-hit opposite-field single. 

Trailing 12-4 entering the bottom of the fourth, Chadron State put up another crooked number. Elia DeLozier singled and Charley Pitrat doubled, prompting a BHSU pitching change from starter Kaitlyn Geschwill to reliever Dakota Poag. Macie Selfors greeted Poag with a run-scoring single, although Poag would recover with two strikeouts. 

With two outs and the bases loaded, Tiffani Mein drove home two runs with a base hit to left field, making it 12-7. Katelynn Czerpak singled to right to bring home another run as the Eagles cut the deficit to four runs.

Cordray and Mein hit back-to-back RBI singles in the fifth as the Eagles trimmed things further to 13-10. Chadron State tried to mount a seventh-inning rally and got one run back from Cordray knocked in Selfors from second base with a two-out single, but the next batter grounded out to end the game and hand CSC a two-run loss. 

Unfortunately, CSC could not keep up its offensive production in the second game. The Eagles only managed one hit off the pitching tandem of Paige Goodell and Sophia Honse, an infield single by Brogan Allen in the fourth inning. The Yellow Jackets put up five runs in the third and three runs in the fourth to win the game via the eight-after-five run rule and complete the sweep. 

The Eagles will face one of the conference's top contenders next week in MSU Denver (18-6, 13-3 RMAC) on the road. The four-game series is currently scheduled for Saturday at 12 and 2 and Sunday at 11 and 1.