DENVER, Colo. – The Black Hills State University softball team (1-8, 0-4 RMAC) saw their bats wake up on Day 2 of the series with Metropolitan State University of Denver (9-5, 4-0 RMAC) at the Assembly Athletic Complex with 18 hits and nine runs, but dropped both games today to conclude the four-game set with the Roadrunners.
Ashlynn Pauwels picks up the first Black Hills State home run of the season and drives in four runs on the day.
GAME 3: MSUD 10, BHSU 6
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Jenna Medhus (1-0)
Loss: Laci Peskey (0-4)
The bats came alive on a beautiful sunny Presidents Day at the Assembly Athletic Complex on the campus of Metropolitan State University of Denver but the Roadrunners would still be able to defend the home turf in Game 3 of the four-game set.
Lily Simmons (So., Frederick, Colo.) kicked off Day 2 of the series with a lead-off double down the right field line. A productive out would move Simmons over to third with two away. In the clean-up spot, Pauwels (Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.) would take Natalie Romero deep to dead center field to give Black Hills State their first lead of the weekend with the two-run blast.
Laci Peskey (Fr., Waller, Texas) took the early confidence the team got in the top half of the inning into the circle for the bottom half, retiring the Roadrunners in order and picking up an early strike out.
For the second-straight inning, the Jackets would put the lead-off runner on as
Taylor Dowden (Jr., Surprise, Ariz.) worked the walk and, subsequently, stole second base to put a runner back in scoring position.
Audrey Fouras (So., Jackson, Wyo.) would notch a hard-hit RBI single up the middle to bring home Dowden to give BH the 3-0 lead. Later in the frame, BHSU would have another runner in scoring position and a push-bunt from
Alyssa Wong (R-Fr., San Antonio, Texas) would put runners on the corners with just one away. Wong would steal second base, putting two runners in scoring position but no more runs would come across to score.
The Roadrunners would get the bats going in the home half of the third inning, putting up five runs on five hits. MSU Denver would take a 4-3 lead into the fourth inning from the Assembly Athletic Complex.
Black Hills State would not be deterred, again putting a pair of runners in scoring position to kick off the fourth inning. Following an error,
Malia Ogee (So., Anchorage, Alaska) doubled to center with no one out. Wong would single to third, scoring Fouras who reached on the error to begin the frame as BHSU cut the MSU Denver lead to 5-4. The Roadrunners would then make a call to the bullpen with runners on first and third with nobody down. A productive out put both runners in scoring position, bringing up
Kayla Lee (Sr., Kearney, Neb.) who would deliver an RBI single to left field to knot the game up at 5-5. Pauwels picked up her third RBI of the day with a hard-hit ball that went under the glove of the Roadrunner second baseman. Though scored as an error, it nonetheless gave BHSU the lead back at 6-5 with the three-run inning.
A double and defensive miscue in the fifth inning would see the Roadrunners take the lead back, 7-6. Black Hills State had a chance to even the game up in the top of the sixth, but a perfect throw from the outfield would be right on the money to get
Tyler Whitlock (Jr., Erie, Colo.) trying to score from second. In the bottom half of the sixth, MSU Denver picked up an insurance run to make it 8-6 heading to the final inning of Game 3.
GAME NOTES
- The Yellow Jackets post their second-highest hit total of the young season with 11 hits.
- Black Hills State got the lead-off runner on in five of the seven innings in Game 3.
- Ashlynn Pauwels hit the first BHSU home run of the season, her ninth in her Yellow Jacket career.
- Her three RBIs on the day brings her total up to four on the season and brings her on-base streak up to six-straight games.
- Audrey Fouras picked up her second hit of the season, also notching her second RBI of the weekend.
- Taylor Dowden picked up her second stolen base of the season in the second inning.
- Laci Peskey made her second start in the circle this weekend in Game 3, throwing all six innings and recording three strike outs.
GAME 4: MSUD 11, BHSU 3 (F/5)
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Cheyenne Prieto (3-1)
Loss: Malaya Coleman (0-2)
Simmons started the final game of the series with a single to the Roadrunner catcher and a sacrifice bunt would advance her to second. With two down in the inning, Pauwels would double to right center field to drive in her fourth run of the day to give BHSU the early 1-0 lead. MSU Denver, though, would pull even with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first, tied 1-1 going to the second.
Much like the first inning, both sides would tally another run in the second inning. Black Hills State would respond with at their run after a one-out single from Fouras and a walk drawn by Lance. Wong would single through the right side to give the Yellow Jackets the 2-1 lead. A Roadrunner solo home run in the bottom half would knot things back up.
A seven-run third inning for MSU Denver proved to be the difference in the final game of the series as the Roadrunners would take a 10-2 advantage.
Trailing 10-2 heading into what could've been the final inning of play, the Yellow Jackets proved they would not go down without a fight. A one-out walk from Lee and a single from Pauwels would put runners on the corner. An RBI single to left field from
Gianna Haley (Gr., Arvada, Colo.) would force, at least, a bottom half of the fifth inning with the score 10-3.
However, in the bottom half of the frame, the Roadrunners would push across a run of their own to still end the game in five innings, completing the sweep with an 11-3 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Ashlynn Pauwels added two more hits in Game 4, having four on the day, going 2-for-3 with an RBI in Game 4, recording her team-best fourth double of the season.
- She tallied four RBIs on the day and now sits tied with Gianna Haley for the team lead (5).
- Haley went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
- Tyler Whitlock also records an RBI.
- Whitlock, Audrey Fouras, Haley, and Pauwels all leave Denver on three-game hit streaks.
- Pauwels also leaves Denver extending her on-base streak up to seven-straight games, while Fouras reached base safely in every game this series.
- Malaya Coleman made the start in the circle in the series finale, throwing 2.1 innings.
- Laci Peskey came in relief to throw the final two innings.
- BHSU falls to 4-35 all-time against the Roadrunners.
Up Next: The Yellow Jackets will remain on the road next weekend when they travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado to battle the Mountain Lions of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (6-7, 3-1 RMAC) on Saturday-Sunday, February 24-25.
Don't forget to follow Black Hills State University Athletics on
Facebook, Twitter
@BHSUAthletics, and Instagram
@BHSUAthletics!
#ClimbTheHills
