CHADRON, Neb. – It proved to be a record-setting day for Yellow Jackets on a windy day down in the state of Nebraska, as the Black Hills State University softball team (14-31, 13-27 RMAC) picked up a pair of wins over the Chadron State Eagles (11-37, 11-27 RMAC) behind the efforts of
Laci Peskey and
Shayla Tuschen in the circle. BHSU also set a new record for the most wins in a single season in the Division II era and the most Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) wins in a season since joining the league in 2012.
"This team has had its highs and lows, and this was something I've known they are capable of (breaking win records) achieving since the moment I got to The Hills! The future is bright," said head coach
Ashlyn Englehorn on BHSU setting new win records. "The senior class helped us lay the foundation for the future and we are excited for that number to rise."
GAME 1: BHSU 2, CSC 0
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Laci Peskey (6-14)
Loss: Kenzi Garner (4-12)
It was low scoring affair to open the series down in Nebraska, but the two runs proved to be enough for Peskey (Fr., Waller, Texas) as she tosses her 15
th complete game of the season and her second shutout, giving Black Hills State a new record for most RMAC wins in a season.
It would be
Taylor Dowden (Jr., Surprise, Ariz.) down in the nine-hole who would put the first Yellow Jacket hit on the board in the third inning. Her single would also put the first runner of the game in scoring position, which would later be cashed in for the first run of the afternoon when
Tyler Whitlock (Jr., Erie, Colo.) doubled to right center field to make it 1-0 Black Hills State.
In the end, that run would prove to be enough for Peskey as she simply dominated the Eagles all afternoon long. She scattered just six Chadron State hits in her seven innings of work, picking up seven strike outs and not allowing any free passes. In the entire outing, she only allowed three Eagles to get into scoring position with none advancing past second base.
"Laci came out in Game 1 and does what she does best!" commented Englehorn. "We've said it all season, but she is a
dawg and we are very proud of how much she has stepped up for us in the circle."
A lead-off single from
Gianna Haley (Gr., Arvada, Colo.) would notch her 140
th career hit, which would set up the Yellow Jackets to plate an insurance run in the frame. The milestone hits kept coming as next up would be
Ashlynn Pauwels (Jr., Tallahasse, Fla.) who doubled to center, setting a new program single-season record in doubles. That would put runners on second and third for
Audrey Fouras (So., Jackson, Wyo.) who would single to center herself to double the lead, 2-0 BH.
"Ashlynn has been working on her swing and finding more consistency in it," noted Englehorn. "We are so excited for what she has done already with her power numbers and we know she'll continue to be a core piece of our line-up."
Neither side would push across any more runs the rest of the way, but Peskey would only allow just two more hits the rest of the way in the final four innings for Chadron State.
GAME NOTES
- Black Hills State sets a new program record for most RMAC wins in a season with their 12th league win.
- BH also ties their single-season record for most shutouts in one season (4)
- With the win, it marks a new career-best for head coach Ashlyn Englehorn in wins for a single year as a head coach.
- Ashlynn Pauwels sets a new program single-season record for doubles with her 13th of the season.
- Gianna Haley becomes the just the third Yellow Jacket in program history to notch 140+ hits in their career.
- The BH bats rope record a pair of doubles in Game 1.
- Chadron State outhit the Jackets in the series opener (6-5) with BH picking up their fourth win this season when being outhit.
- BHSU had a pair of stolen bases in the win with one from both Lily Simmons (8) and Haley (1).
- For both Simmons and Haley, it marks their 10th stolen base in their respective careers.
- Five different Yellow Jackets record a hit in the win, as the defense played phenomenally to keep the Eagles off the board.
- Laci Peskey tossed her second-career shutout in Game 1; the shutout moves into a five-way tie for the second in a single season in program history.
- She also pitched her 15th complete game of the season, moving her to T4th in program history in a single season.
- Peskey also tied her season-high with seven strike outs, now needing just three punch outs to crack the single-season top-10 list.
- The two wins in the yellow uniform improves the record to 8-12 in them this season.
- The Game 1 victory marks the 10th win against Chadron State in the all-time series (43-10, CSC).
GAME 2: BHSU 2, CSC 1
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Win: Shayla Tuschen (6-12)
Loss: Brooklyn Levin (3-12)
Game 2 saw another Yellow Jacket pitching clinic, this time from
Shayla Tuschen (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) who would pick up her 20
th win in the circle for her career. Offensively, it was the bat of Dowden who provided a spark, going a perfect 3-for-3 as she picks up her first three-hit game of the season as BHSU would hold on for a 2-1 victory despite a seventh inning push from the Eagles.
"Shayla got the ball for the second game and trusted her stuff and her defense to get her 20
th career win," said Englehorn. "It was great seeing her one out with composure and handle pressure well with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh."
It would be a promising start for the Yellow Jackets in the first inning.
Lily Simmons (So., Frederick, Colo.) would work a lead-off walk that would later come around to score on an RBI double from Fouras to make it 1-0 Yellow Jackets after one inning of play.
What would prove to be the game-winning run would be tallied in the second inning, thanks to an Eagle throwing error that would allow Dowden to score.
"Dowden went 4-for-5 today and turned over the line-up well for us," concluded Englehorn. "When she's on base, her speed creates havoc and makes things happen for us!"
Tuschen would retire the first six Chadron State hitters she faced from the circle, as Black Hills State would hold a 2-0 lead after two complete.
Chadron State would get their first hit of the day to lead off the third inning, as J'lyssa Martinez would homer to right field to cut the Yellow Jacket lead in half at 2-1, but that would be all that Tuschen surrenders in a stellar outing in the circle.
Entering the seventh, Tuschen had surrendered just two hits scattered about. She would get the first out of the inning, before three seeing-eye singles would suddenly load the bases with just the one run Yellow Jacket lead. Not to be deterred, Tuschen would work back-to-back foul outs to Dowden over at third to secure the sweep.
GAME NOTES
- Shayla Tuschen (6-12) picks up her 20th win of her Yellow Jacket career in the circle in Game 2, and her sixth of the season.
- Audrey Fouras picked up her fifth double of the season in Game 2, picking up the lone RBI of the day for the Yellow Jackets.
- Ashlynn Pauwels picked up a multi-hit game going 2-for-4, notching her 11th multi-hit game of the campaign.
- Taylor Dowden had the hot bat in Game 2, going 3-for-3 with a run scored, picking up her sixth multi-hit game of the season and her first three-hit game of the campaign.
- After Day 1, Tyler Whitlock recorded a pair of hits to move her career total to 98, needing just two more to reach 100 career hits as a Yellow Jacket.
- Tuschen would scatter the five hits and one run (earned) over the seven innings pitched, surrendering just a pair of walks.
- She records her 27th career complete game today, her eighth of 2024.
Up Next: The Yellow Jackets and Eagles will conclude the series tomorrow, April 26 with a doubleheader from the CSC Softball Field beginning at 11:00 a.m.
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