Fort Lewis College Athletics

Cara Daugherty vs. Colorado Christian - Feb. 24, 2024

Brandy Sanderson

Cara Daugherty (11) owns the Skyhawks' third-best batting average (.343) and second-best on-base percentage (.445) this season.

Skyhawks head into Yellow Jacket territory for weekend showdown

4/12/2024 10:45:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis softball (10-27, 8-20 RMAC) is traveling to Spearfish, S.D., for a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series up at Yellow Jacket Field against Black Hills State (12-23, 11-19 RMAC) this Saturday and Sunday.

Game Information
Saturday, Apr. 13 | 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.
vs. Black Hills State
Spearfish, S.D. | Yellow Jacket Field
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
FLC Game Notes | BHSU Game Notes

Sunday, Apr. 14 | Noon & 2:00 p.m.
vs. Black Hills State
Spearfish, S.D. | Yellow Jacket Field
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
FLC Game Notes | BHSU Game Notes

Last Time Out
Fort Lewis is coming off a four-game home stand in which the Skyhawks battled MSU Denver (35-9, 28-4 RMAC), who were receiving votes on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, to a series split for the second consecutive season. Guided by Hailie Mann's (5-13) two-victory weekend in the circle, the Skyhawks held the league's most effective offense to just 15 runs in the series: the fewest in a four-game set this season.

She's The Mann
Mann, a junior from Tucson, Ariz., has been one of the hottest arms in the conference over the past two weeks. Tasked with holding back a Roadrunners offense that bats .375 as a unit and averages over eight runs per game, Mann rose to the challenge and held MSUD to only one unearned run across her two complete games to mark the first time the Roadrunners have been shut out this season. Her efforts garnered Week 10 RMAC Pitcher of the Week honors, the first of her career and the first by a Skyhawk since 2019. Over her last four starts, Mann has picked up three wins, two of which are the only shutouts for Fort Lewis this season, in addition to posting a 0.77 earned run average over the same stretch.

Scouting Black Hills State
The Yellow Jackets will look to use its home field to get back on track after dropping five straight games including a four-game sweep at the hands of Regis (26-14, 22-8 RMAC) last weekend. In addition, BHSU enters the weekend facing a 13-game losing streak against Fort Lewis while trailing the Skyhawks 33-7 in the all-time series.

Shayla Tuschen (5-10) and Laci Peskey (5-10) provide the one-two punch in the circle for the Yellow Jackets as the duo has tallied 65.1 innings and 91.0 innings, respectively. While Peskey leads the pair in complete games 10-7, Tuschen holds the advantage with a 6.54 ERA and 51 strikeouts against 24 walks on the year.

At the plate, Alyssa Wong leads all hitters with a .374 average to pair with a team-leading .441 on-base percentage, 20 runs batted in, and three stolen bases. In addition to Wong, Lily Simmons and Ashlynn Pauwels add a pair of .355 and .343 averages, respectively. Pauwels also headlines the roster with 11 doubles, a triple, and six homers on the year.

Final Home Series on Deck
Next weekend will be a rodeo up on the rim as the Skyhawks welcome the Cowgirls from New Mexico Highlands (11-24, 7-23 RMAC) for its final home series on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 20-21. Fort Lewis will celebrate its annual Nike N7 games on Saturday followed by Senior Day on Sunday.

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