THORNTON, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's (RMAC) best home run hitting team proved it to open the series Friday afternoon at Riverdale Ridge High School, going deep 15 times in the doubleheader, as the Black Hills State University softball team (10-14, 9-10 RMAC) dropped the first two games of the series to Colorado Mesa University (20-7, 18-3 RMAC). For the Yellow Jackets, Audrey Fouras picked up her team-leading third home run of the season.
 
GAME 1: CMU 14, BHSU 0 (F/5)
 
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Preslee Christensen (6-3)
Loss: Shayla Tuschen (5-5)
 
It was the RMAC's leading home run team who started the scoring in the second inning with three home runs to jump out to a 5-0 lead with only one of the runs being earned in the frame.
 
The Colorado Mesa was zoned in to begin the contest, striking out five of the first seven Yellow Jacket batters. Kayla Lee (Sr., Kearney, Neb.) recorded the first hit for BH of the day in the first, while Shayla Tuschen (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) roped one on a line into center field but right at a Maverick.
 
Mesa kept the pressure on the following inning in the third, as they belted back-to-back home runs as they extended their advantage out to 8-0. The Yellow Jackets would then make a change in the circle as Malaya Coleman (So., Johnstown, Colo.) would enter in relief.
 
The Mavericks continued to use the long ball, leading 13-0 after four innings. Lee picked up the team's second hit of the day in the bottom of the fourth and would also record a stolen base.
 
GAME NOTES

• Kayla Lee picked up both of BHSU's hits in Game 1 this afternoon, her sixth multi-hit game of the season.
• With her stolen base in Game 1, Lee has tied Whitlock for the team lead with 13.
• With her first strike out in the circle today, Shayla Tuschen recorded her 225^th career strike out as a Yellow Jacket.

GAME  2: CMU 16, BHSU 5 (F/6)
 
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Marisa Nehm (5-0)
Loss: Laci Peskey (4-7)
 
Laci Peskey (Fr., Waller, Texas) worked around a pair of walks in the top of the first inning, leaving runners stranded at second and third to keep the game scoreless.
 
After a long at-bat to open the bottom half, Lily Simmons (So., Frederick, Colo.) would find a way on base after a Maverick miscue. Black Hills State put their second runner in scoring position of the day following a walk drawn by Alyssa Wong (R-Fr., San Antonio, Texas). Ashlynn Pauwels (Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.) would drive in the first BHSU run of the day with a double to right center, giving the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the day at 1-0.
 
Another Colorado Mesa long ball would knot things up at 1-1 in the second inning. Following a two out double, a blooper double to left field would give the Mavericks the lead.
 
Back-to-back-to-back blasts to start the fourth inning for Mesa would open up a 6-1 lead. The fourth home run of the frame would extend it to 8-1, as Englehorn would go back to the bullpen to bring in Coleman.
 
Black Hills State would join in on the home run party when Audrey Fouras (So., Jackson, Wyo.) went to dead center field to cut the Maverick lead to 10-3. Tyler Whitlock (Jr., Erie, Colo.) would sneak a ball through the right side and beat out a hustle double. Later, a single to right center from Gianna Haley (Gr., Arvada, Colo.) would drive in the third run of the inning to make it 10-4 CMU.
 
Black Hills State would manage one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but not before the Mavericks plated five in the top half. Colorado Mesa would take the second game of the day, 16-5 in six innings.
 
GAME NOTES

• Audrey Fouras hit her third home run of the season, once again back in the team lead.
• The double in the first inning marks Pauwels' eighth double of the season and her team-leading 16^th RBI.
• The bottom of the order came through for the Jackets: both Tyler Whitlock and Taylor Dowden recorded multi-hit games.
• Dowden now has four multi-hit games this season, while Whitlock has three.
• Fouras and Pauwels both drove in a pair of runs; making it two and five multi-RBI games, respectively.

Up Next: Black Hills State will conclude the four-game set with the Mavericks tomorrow from Thornton, Colorado and Riverdale Ridge High School with first pitch of the doubleheader set for 11:00 a.m.