PUEBLO, COLO. – For only the second time in BHSU’s RMAC history, the Yellow Jackets have won back-to-back RMAC series. The Yellow Jackets split the games today after sweeping yesterday and took home the series 3-1 but lost the seven-game win streak. Desi Hernandez hit another walk-off and Laci Peskey had another dominant outing. Both games today ended in a run rule in five innings, with BHSU taking the first, but losing the second.
QUICK DETAILS – GAME 1
Final Score: Black Hills State 10, CSU Pueblo 2 (5 Innings)
Team Records: Black Hills State 9-4 (7-0 RMAC), CSU Pueblo 4-10 (3-4 RMAC)
Pitching Decision: Win: Peskey (8-1), Loss: Sanchez (3-3)
Attendance: 82
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1
• Peskey was able to go 1-2-3 to start the first inning, then BHSU got going early. In the bottom of the first, Tyler Whitlock walked and advanced to third on a bad pickoff throw by the CSU Pueblo catcher. Desi Hernandez hit an RBI single to score Whitlock and Ashlynn Pauwels singled to advance Hernandez to second. Audrey Fouras would hit an RBI double to score Hernandez and move Pauwels to third before Gracie Oswald struck out to end the inning but giving BHSU an early 2-0 lead.
• Emma Case walked to start the second inning for Pueblo and Caitlyn Cole reached on a fielder’s choice then advanced to second on a bunt single and stole third. Cole scored on a squeeze play to cut the lead to 2-1. BHSU took over and after Peskey lined out, Dowden was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on an error by the short stop, while Lily Simmons reached first. Whitlock also reached on an error, and everyone advanced a base. Desi Hernandez hit an RBI single that scored an unearned Dowden run and Pauwels hit an RBI groundout to score Simmons, which gave BHSU a 4-1 lead.
• After no runs were scored in the third, Caitlyn Cole started the fourth with reaching on an error by the first basemen. Gietzen dropped a routine flyout to advance Cole to second and both Barela and Cole stole second and third. CSU Pueblo ran another squeeze play to score Cole and Taylor Brower flied out to end the inning but cut the lead to 4-2. Both Simmons and Whitlock hit singles to start the bottom of the fourth, before DesI Hernandez hit her third RBI with a double to score Simmons. Pauwes hit a sacrifice fly to score Whitlock and Alyssa Wong reached on an error which scored Hernandez. No more runs were able to be scored despite a Fouras double, but BHSU still took a 7-2 lead.
• In the fifth, Peskey was able to get out of the inning unscathed outside of one single. Dowden walked to begin the half inning and immediately stole second. Lily Simmons hit another single to advance Dowden to third. BHSU performed a perfect double steal to score Dowden and get Simmons safe at second making BHSU have a 8-2 lead. Whitlock then hit a single to advance Simmons to third and made it to second on the throw. Finally, Hernandez did it again, hitting a two-RBI double to score both Simmons and Whitlock, which tied her in the BHSU record books for RBIs in a game. This would get BHSU to the necessary mercy rule score of leading by eight after five innings, meaning the game would be over. BHSU won their seventh straight, 10-2.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS – GAME 1
• Desi Hernandez: 4-for-4, 5 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 2B
• Tyler Whitlock: 2-for-3, 3 runs, 1B
• Lily Simmons: 2-for-4, 3 runs
• Ashlynn Pauwels: 1-for-2, 2 RBIs
• Laci Peskey: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 Ks, 1-for-3
QUICK DETAILS- GAME 2
Final Score: Black Hills State 2, CSU Pueblo 14 (5 innings)
Team Records: Black Hills State 9-5 (7-1 RMAC), CSU Pueblo 5-10 (4-4 RMAC)
Pitching Decision: Win: James (2-5), Loss: Coleman (0-1)
Attendance: 107
HOW IT HAPPENED- GAME 2
• Malaya Coleman started the game for BHSU in this one, and CSU Pueblo got after her early as Brower hit a single and Barela hit a single to put two on with no outs. Huerta would hit a sac bunt to advance both runners and Case would hit a 2-RBI single to start the scoring at 2-0 CSU Pueblo. Ashley Tosh would take a hit by pitch and Raelynn Rogers would reach on a fielder’s choice getting Tosh out at second. Rogers then stole second and Zoie Armstrong hit a 2-RBI single to score Case and Rogers. CSU Pueblo would take a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.
• BHSU would go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, and the second inning started exactly like the first, with Brower and Barela hitting singles and Huerta bunting them to second and third. Coleman would be replaced by Hoff and Case would reach on an error that allowed Brower to score to make it 5-2. Tosh hit a single right back to Hoff that Hoff could not get to the catcher in time and Barela scored. Rogers would single to load the bases, and Hoff would walk Tori Cordova to make the score 7-0 headed to the bottom of the second.
• In the bottom of the second, Pauwels would hit a single, Wong would walk, and Fouras would hit an RBI single to close the gap to 7-1. Adrianna Lance would hit a single to advance the runners and Hoff would hit into a fielder’s choice, where they got Wong out at home and tried to get Hoff out at first, but the throw got away and Fouras scored on the error to make it 7-2. Dowden would fly out and Simmons would strike out and BHSU would only be down 7-2.
• Tosh singled to start the fourth inning, and with one out, Armstrong walked and stole second in a double steal that put pinch runner Isabella Hewitt on third. Darleen Falcon walked to load the bases and Caitlyn Cole walked to score Hewitt. 8-2 CSUP. Brower was hit by a pitch, which scored Armstrong and the ThunderWolves took a 9-2 lead. Barela hit a sacrifice fly to score Falcon and make the score 10-2, before Huerta hit her second double of the game to score both Brower and Cole and give CSUP a 12-2 lead.
• Tosh once again starts the fifth with a single and Hoff was replaced by Skylar Bedlan making her first appearance of the season. She got Rogers to ground out but allowed a single from Armstrong and Tosh advanced to third. Armstrong stole second, and Falcon fouled out, but Cole hit a 2-RBI single to score Armstrong and Tosh to make the score 14-2 headed into the bottom half. Dowden got hit by a pitch to start the fifth inning, and after Simmons flied out, Whitlock hit a double to advance Andria Fitch to third, who was pinch running for Dowden. Hernandez got another RBI on a groundout to score Fitch, before Pauwels popped out to end the game with the run rule at 14-2.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS- GAME 2
• Adreanna Lance: 2-for-2
• Audrey Fouras: 1-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 Run
• Ashlynn Pauwels: 1-for-2, 1 Run
