DENVER, COLO. – The Black Hills State University softball team (1-6, 0-2 RMAC) opened the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) slate Sunday afternoon against the Roadrunners of MSU Denver (7-5, 2-0 RMAC) in a doubleheader at the Assembly Athletic Complex. The Yellow Jackets dropped a pair of five-inning contests to the Roadrunners.
 
GAME 1: MSUD 10, BHSU 1 (F/5)
 
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Natalie Romero (3-1)
Loss: Malaya Coleman (0-1)
 
The Roadrunners struck first in the bottom half of the first inning with a lead-off home run from reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Player of the Week Hannah DiFabio. A double and an RBI single later, MSU Denver extended their lead to 2-0, heading to the second inning.
 
The first base runner of the day for the Yellow Jackets came via a free pass drawn by Ashlynn Pauwels (Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.) to start off the top of the second. Despite the lead-off walk, BH would be unable to get anything going. The Roadrunners would start their half of the frame with back-to-back singles. The second double of the day for Kami Grammerstorf would plate two more runs to double the MSU Denver lead to 4-0.
 
It took a couple of innings for the Yellow Jackets to figure out Roadrunner starter Natalie Romero. But in the third, the bottom third of the BH line-up would get something going early. Taylor Dowden (Jr., Surprise, Ariz.) would reach base to start the inning and she would immediately steal second base. Audrey Fouras (So., Jackson, Wyo.) would follow that with a walk, being the first inning with multiple base runners on base. Alyssa Wong (R-Fr., San Antonio, Texas) would drop a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position with just one away. The second walk of the inning issued by Romero would load the bases and Kayla Lee (Sr., Kearney, Neb.) would drive in the first Yellow Jacket run of the day with an RBI single through the right side, making it 4-1 but that would be all BHSU would get in the inning.
 
Three-straight hits, with back-to-back doubles, to start the home half of the third got the run back for the Roadrunners. Following that, a home run to dead center field would give MSU Denver an 8-1 lead. By the end of the frame, the Roadrunners would hold a 10-1 lead.
 
Black Hills State would be unable to push across any more runs and MSU Denver would take Game 1 of the series, 10-1, in five innings.
 
GAME NOTES

• BH was held to just two hits in Game 1 from Lily Simmons and Kayla Lee.
• Lee drove in the long Yellow Jacket run, picking up her first RBI of the season.
• Simmons (1) and Taylor Dowden (1) both record a stolen base in the contest.
• Alyssa Wong recorded a sacrifice bunt in the contest.
• Audrey Fouras made her first start of the season in Game 1, starting at second base and batting seventh.
• Malaya Coleman (0-1) got the start in the circle for BHSU, pitching all five innings and picked up a pair of strike outs.

 
GAME 2: MSUD 10, BHSU 1 (F/5)
 
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Cheyenne Prieto (2-1)
Loss: Laci Peskey (0-3)
 
Game 2 saw MSU Denver put a runner on third with no one out after a lead-off single in the home half of the first. The run would come into score as the Roadrunners strike first again with a 1-0 lead. They would put up four more runs in the frame, pushing the lead up to 5-0 after the first inning of play.
 
In the second inning, a two-run home run in the frame would ultimately push the lead up to 8-0 through two full innings of play.
 
The fourth inning saw the Yellow Jackets put a pair of runners into scoring position with just one away, thanks to a double down the left field line from Pauwels. An infield single from Fouras would plate the first run of Game 2 for the Yellow Jackets to avoid the shut out, putting runners on the corners. At the end of the frame, the Roadrunners held the 10-1 lead but Black Hills State was able to put three hits on the board.
 
GAME NOTES

• The Yellow Jackets picked up four hits in the No. 3-6 spots in the line-up.
• Tyler Whitlock scored the only BH run in Game 2, driven in by Audrey Fouras.
• For Fouras, she picked up her first hit of the season, along with her first RBI.
• Alyssa Wong worked a walk, the only walk recorded by BH in Game 2.
• Ashlyn Pauwels recorded her second double of the season in Game 2.
• Laci Peskey made her third start in the circle on the afternoon, throwing two innings.
• Malaya Coleman pitched two innings of relief to finish out the game, surrendering just one hit.

Up Next: Black Hills State will conclude the four-game set with the Roadrunners tomorrow, Monday, February 19 with another doubleheader in Denver starting at 11:00 a.m.