ALAMOSA, Colo. – On a brisk, breezy Saturday afternoon, the bats were plenty warm at the ASU Softball Field, as the Black Hills State University Softball Team came away with a split against Adams State University. BHSU plated a season-best 17 runs in a game one run-rule victory, 17-3, before the Grizzlies claimed game two, 12-3.
 
With the split, the Yellow Jackets move to 4-10 on the season, with all of those contests being against RMAC opponents. Adams State, meanwhile, moved to 4-19, grabbing their first win in conference play to advance to 1-11 against RMAC foes.
 
The BHSU offense starred in game one, cracking double-digits on the scoreboard for the first time this season, posting a season-high for hits with 18. In addition, the 17 runs scored by the Yellow Jackets was the most they have posted in a game since February 27th, 2017 when they plated 20 runs, also in the first game of a doubleheader against ASU. The efforts of Shayla Tuschen and Ashlynn Pauwels led the way with Tuschen going a perfect 4-4 at the dish, driving in a quartet of runs while Pauwels notched the first multi-homer game of the season for BHSU, driving in five runs, a number that is also the most by a Yellow Jacket thus far this spring.
 
Tuschen was also superb in the circle for the Yellow Jackets, as she collected her third complete game of the season, going all five innings allowing three runs, all earned, on eight hits while striking out five against no walks as she improved to 3-4. Starting duties for Adams State was tasked to Jade Garbiso getting the start and she struggled allowing eight runs, all earned, on eight hits and five walks, taking the loss and falling to 1-6.
 
Halie Litwin took the loss for BHSU in game two throwing 2.0+ innings surrendering eight runs, only five of them earned, on eight hits and a walk as she fell to 1-5 on the season. Tayler Duncan got the ball and the win for the Grizzlies in game two, improving to 1-2 after going all five innings allowing three runs, all earned, on eight hits and two walks.
 
Game 1 (W, 17-3)
Black Hills State wasted no time at all jumping on Adams State starter Jade Garbiso as each of their first four batters would reach base and score. Shylee Moxey led off the contest by drawing a four-pitch walk and swiftly swiped second. Kayla Lee opened the scoring by scorching a liner over first and down the rightfield line, plating the run as Lee darted all the way around to third. Tuschen followed by ripping an 0-2 offering off the fence in the right-centerfield gap, plating Lee in the process. Pauwels capped the scoring in the frame by doubling up the team's run total, blasting a 1-2 pitch well over the fence in right field to make the score, 4-0.
 
The Grizzles threatened to battle back in the home half as they got an infield hit from Kaia Bradford and Mariah Madrid floated a ball over second that found a patch of grass. However, the blooper was a difficult read for Bradford and as a result she got thrown out on a force play at second before a strike them out, throw them out double play ended the inning.
 
BHSU tacked on a run in the second when Adreanna Lance drew a walk with the bases loaded before they broke the game open in the third. Sydney Barner led off with a free pass and came around to score on a triple by Moxey. Lee followed with a three-bagger of her own before the hosts finally turned to the bullpen. Tuschen greeted the new arm, Jasmine Garbiso, with a run-scoring single, then two batters later, Gianna Haley smoked a double into the alley in right-center. The throw back into the infield got away from the ASU defense as Tuschen raced around from first to score, and BHSU had a huge advantage, 9-0.
 
Adams State got one back in the bottom of the third before the Yellow Jackets posted their third multi-run inning of the contest in the fourth. A pair of walks and a single by the bottom of the lineup loaded the bases with no outs and Moxey cashed in with an RBI single to center. Lee followed with her third run-scoring at bat as Barner came home on a groundout. Tuschen plated another run on a single before Pauwels blasted her second longball of the game, cranking a 2-1 pitch over the fence down the rightfield line extending the advantage to 15-1.
 
Each squad scored a pair of runs in the fifth before the score went final with Black Hills State claiming a run-rule victory in game one, 17-3.
 
Game 2 (L, 12-3)
Following an uneventful top of the first, Adams State claimed their first lead of the day in the home half. An infield single and a walk opened the frame, but BHSU would get a bit of luck, at least initially, as Breck Smith smoked a line drive straight to Lexi Apodaca who snared it and doubled off the runner at second. A fielding error would extend the inning, however, and Sydney Muniz tripled to plate a pair of unearned runs. Muniz would cross the plate on a wild pitch, and the hosts had a 3-0 advantage.
 
The Yellow Jackets got a pair back in the second inning. Pauwels singled to lead off the inning, extending her hitting streak to ten games in the process, and Haley followed with a double putting two runners in scoring position with no one out. Bayleigh Hubbard brought one in with an RBI groundout two batters later and Barner placed a two-bagger into left-center to plate a second run. BHSU threatened for more as they proceed to load the bases, but nothing would come of it, though the deficit was cut to one.
 
The Grizzles scored three more in the home half, and it was once again self-inflicted wounds that harmed BHSU. Litwin would plunk the leadoff batter before Lily Simmons committed her second error of the game to put runners on first and second with no one out. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Jade Garbiso found a hole with a groundball single to plate the lead runner. Now with runners on the corners, Grabiso advanced to second ahead of Smith who doubled the lead with a two-bagger to right-center, making the score 6-2.
 
The hosts pulled away in the third as each of the first five batters would reach safely by way of a triple, a double, a walk, a single, and then another walk. A Garbiso sacrifice fly would bring in the third run of the inning and two batters later Belinda Vargas tripled to bring home two more. Muniz plated Vargas with a single to cap the scoring by Adams State and make their advantage 12-2.
 
Black Hills State would get one in the fifth on a run-scoring triple off the bat of Haley, but it was not enough as the run-rule went into effect with a final score of 12-3.
 
Up Next
Black Hills State will return to the diamond in Alamosa, Colorado tomorrow as they will wrap up their season series against Adams State on Sunday, March 12. First pitch for game one is set for 11:00 a.m.
 
-bhsuathletics.com-