The Briar Cliff softball team split with Jamestown Monday afternoon in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Chargers won game one 3-2 behind Sydney Lierman's three-RBI game and Maddi Duncan earned her 14th win of the season. BC gave up four runs in the third in game two and ended up falling 4-2.
 
"We've made great strides, but our biggest hurdle is coming out with an intensity and focus to beat teams we should beat," said head coach Erin Bly. "We are far too lax and that time and time again will serve you poorly both offensively and defensively. We'll look this week to continue and figure out the best way to find the energy and focus to win those games."
 
Kylee Lukes extended her on-base streak to 15 games, while Karis Gifford has hit safely in eight straight contests.
 
Game 1 – W, 3-2

Maddi Duncan was on point to start game one, striking out the side in the bottom of the first and forcing three straight ground outs in the second. The Charger bats, however, were stymied by the Jimmies pitchers as they were held scoreless through three innings.
 
Callie Billings led off with a single in the fourth and was advanced to second on an Ali Naumann ground out. Sydney Lierman brought Billings around to home with a single to right field to give BC a 1-0 lead. The Jimmies answered in the bottom half of the inning by hitting a two-run home run off Duncan. The Charger ace buckled down over the final three innings, holding the Jimmies scoreless while stranding five runners on base.
 
The Briar Cliff bats came through in the top of the sixth, after a Karis Gifford single to start the inning, the Chargers flied out twice in a row. Kylee Lukes walked, and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. In the clutch, Lierman delievered again for the Cliff with a single to right center field that drove in the game winning runs.
 
The Jimmies threatened in the bottom of the seventh, advancing runners to second and third with just one out. Duncan struck out the next Jimmie batter and forced a fly out to left field to preserve the 3-2 win.
 
Duncan improves to 14-4 after throwing her 12th complete game of the season. She struck out nine batters, allowed six hits and just two runs.
 
Lierman went 2-3 with three RBIs, while Gifford tallied two hits and scored one run.  
 
Game 2 – L, 2-4
 
The Jimmies loaded the bases in the first inning, but were unable to put across a run as Katelyn Kotlarz found a strikeout to end the inning. Audrey Evola put the Chargers on the board first with an RBI single that scored Aubrey Chichurka. The Chargers, however, would leave three runners on base in the inning and five total through the first two frames.
 
Jamestown put up four runs in the bottom of the third after drawing four walks in the inning and recording one hit.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Chargers got a run back as Evola reached first on an error by the right fielder that allowed Chichurka to score from third. The comeback effort would fall short as the Jimmies retired the next four batters in order to end the game.
 
Kotlarz is tagged with the loss after throwing 3.0 innings with three strikeouts, eight walks and four earned runs. Morgan Jones entered in relief and threw 3.0 innings, walking one and giving up just one hit.
 
Chichurka and Evola each went 2-3 from the plate to lead the Chargers.
 
Briar Cliff returns to their home field tomorrow as they host Dakota State for a nonconference doubleheader. Game one is set to start at 3:00 p.m.