SPEARFISH, S.D.– The two evenly matched teams would earn another split to conclude the series Friday afternoon at Yellow Jacket Field as the Black Hills State University softball team (12-19, 11-15 RMAC) took a pitcher's duel in Game 3 behind the arm of
Malaya Coleman in the circle and timely hitting against the Orediggers of the Colorado School of Mines (18-16, 14-12 RMAC).
The Yellow Jackets also tie a pair of program records with the Game 3 victory: most wins at Yellow Jacket Field (9) and most wins in RMAC play (11) in program history, all under first-year head coach
Ashlyn Englehorn.
GAME 3: BHSU 2, CSM 1
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Malaya Coleman (2-3)
Loss: Sadriena Rodriguez (9-6)
Day 2 began with a pitcher's duel, as Yellow Jacket starter Coleman (So., Johnstown, Colo.) was dealing, setting a new career-high with four punch outs in the contest. She scattered nine Colorado Mines' hits but always got the outs when she needed them to pick up her second win of the season in the circle.
Colorado Mines threatened early in the first with the first two batters recording hits and working their way over to second and third with no outs, Coleman stepped up in a big way to keep them stranded and the game scoreless. She picked up a strike out, a roll over ground out, and a pop out to short.
Coleman really settled in for the second inning, setting the Orediggers down in order as the two teams would remain scoreless after two full innings of play.
Again, in the third inning, Mines would threaten putting the first run at third but the Yellow Jacket defense held firm.
Lily Simmons (So., Frederick, Colo.) would get ahold of a ball in the bottom half of the frame, depositing it over the left center field wall for her first home run of the season to give BHSU the 1-0 lead through three.
In the fifth inning, the Orediggers once again threatened, this time with the bases loaded. Coleman would get two outs, but a single up the middle would allow Mines to break through on the scoreboard to knot things up at 1-1. Coleman would work a fly out to keep it tied up.
The sixth inning would start with a lead-off triple from
Ashlynn Pauwels (Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.) off the right field wall, just missing her fifth home run of the season.
Gianna Haley (Gr., Arvada, Colo.) would waste no time and drive in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Not without drama, the Orediggers would load the bases after the first two hitters went down in the inning. However, Coleman would not be rattled and get the final out with a fly out to right center field as Black Hills State tied the program record of nine wins at Yellow Jacket Field with the 2-1 Game 3 victory.
GAME NOTES
- BHSU ties the program record for most wins in a season at Yellow Jacket Field (9).
- Lily Simmons belted her second home run of her career and first of the season to score the first run of the day in the third inning.
- The top of the BH order recorded multi-hit games as both Simmons and Alyssa Wong recorded a pair of hits.
- The duo now sits No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in multi-hit games: Wong (9) and Simmons (8).
- Ashlynn Pauwels notched her second triple as a Yellow Jacket and later scoring the game-winning run.
- Gianna Haley drove in Pauwels for the game-winning run with a sac fly in the sixth inning.
- Malaya Coleman (2-3) picked up her second win of the season in her sixth start of the season, scattering nine Mines' hits but allowing just the one run.
- BHSU picked up their second win of the weekend when being outhit (9-6), marking the third of the season.
- She tallied a new career-best four strike outs in the victory.
- BHSU improves to 9-0 on the season when they hold their opponent to 0-2 runs in a game.
- The Yellow Jackets bring their home run total up to 10 on the season.
GAME 4: CSM 13, BHSU 6
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Sadriena Rodriguez (10-6)
Loss: Shayla Tuschen (5-9)
A pair of big innings for each side was the story in the series finale, as the Yellow Jackets posted a five-spot in the second and Mines with a seven-spot in the sixth, as the Orediggers would go onto take Game 4, 13-6, to earn the series split.
Mines struck first with a run in the first and a run in the second for the early 2-0 lead. Black Hills State would have a huge second inning to jump out in front. Once again with the bases loaded,
Malia Ogee (So., Anchorage, Alaska) would deliver with an RBI single to left field for BH's first run of the day. Simmons would hit her seventh double of the season to give BHSU the 3-2 lead. The pressure would be kept on Mines' as
Alyssa Wong (R-Fr., San Antonio, Texas) singled up the middle for the final runs of the frame, as BH held a 5-2 lead after two innings of play.
The final run of the day for BHSU would come in the third with when
Audrey Fouras (So., Jackson, Wyo.) notched the team's third double of the day down the right field line to make it 6-2.
From then on out, it would be all Colorado Mines. Posting three run in the fourth to cut the lead down to one at 6-5, they'd push the tying run across in the fifth to make it 6-6.
A seven-spot in the sixth inning would prove to be the difference, posting the seven runs on eight hits to take the 13-6 which would hold to be the final score to conclude the series.
GAME NOTES
- BH posted three doubles as team in the final game of the series.
- Ashlynn Pauwels recorded her team-best ninth double in the series finale; her nine doubles this season currently sits T4th best for doubles in a single season.
- She also recorded her second three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with the double and run scored; she now has seven multi-hit games this year.
- Audrey Fouras and Malia Ogee both also record multi-hit games with two each.
- For Fouras, it's her fourth of the season; while Ogee records her first multi-hit game of the season.
- Lily Simmons hit her seventh double, while Fouras with her third.
- Alyssa Wong and Lily Simmons both drive in a pair of runs at the top of the line-up.
- Wong now has six multi-RBI games, while Simmons records her third.
- Simmons also worked a pair of walks, the only two drawn by BH in Game 4.
- Simmons and Pauwels end the series on seven-game hitting streaks for the Yellow Jackets.
Up Next: Black Hills State will hit the road again next weekend when they head back to the Denver metro area for a four-game set with the Regis Rangers (22-14, 18-8 RMAC) set for April 6-7.
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