Miscues and missed opportunities proved costly for the Hillsdale College softball team during Saturday's game against Bemidji State in the Lewis Dome Invitational.

Hillsdale had eight runners in scoring position at different points in the game, but turned those chances into just one run, while five defensive errors led directly to six Beavers runs in a 9-1 defeat.

Bemidji St. made the Chargers pay for their mistakes from the top of the first inning, as a throwing error on a stolen base attempt got a Beaver to third base for a sacrifice fly to give Bemidji a 1-0 lead.

The Beavers added two more runs in the top of the third on a two-run single, and blew the game open in the top of the fifth, as two Hillsdale errors led to three more runs and a 6-0 edge.

Hillsdale got a run back on a RBI double in the bottom of the fifth to score Taylor Lewis, but three more unearned runs by the Beavers in the top of the sixth ended the game an inning early.

Vis led the way for the Hillsdale offense, going 3 for 3 with two doubles and Hillsdale's lone RBI, and Ashley Strick went 2 for 3 as well for Hillsdale at the plate. Lewis, Lauren Liguori and Olivia Liguori each stole a base for the Chargers as well in the loss.

Mackenzi Maxson (2-3) took the loss for the Chargers, going two and two thirds innings, and Anistyn Foster pitched the final three and one-thirds innings in relief, striking out four, walking one and giving up just one earned run.

Hillsdale is now 5-6 overall and finishes its weekend in the Lewis Dome Invite with two contests on Sunday morning, beginning with a regional contest against hometown Roosevelt at 9 a.m. ET with a contest against Truman St. to immediately follow.

Photo by Reva Ludwig