Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970

May 1, 2022 – Loras College softball freshman pitcher Ashlyn Hemm set the single-season strikeout record in the Duhawks' final series of the season on Sunday, collecting her 214th strikeout of her collegiate debut as the Duhawks (22-10, 7-9 A-R-C) split with the Nebraska Wesleyan University (20-13, 8-8 A-R-C) Prairie Wolves, rebounding from a 5-1 loss in the first game to take the second, 6-2.

Nebraska Wesleyan struck first in the opening game, scoring off a sacrifice fly to right field that brought a runner around and followed with a two-RBI double to left center to take an early 3-0 lead. The visitors added another run in the second off another sacrifice fly to the outfield but both teams' defenses kept the other scoreless until the seventh inning when the Prairie Wolves scored off an RBI single up the middle. The Duhawks got on the board in the bottom of the inning off a single by Nicole Bendig who took another base off an errant throw and sent Taylor Donnell around from first base to score with two outs but the Prairie Wolves held off a comeback to take the first game of the series, 5-1.

Hemm eclipsed the milestone with eight strikeouts in the game, throwing her 14th complete game of the season in 30 appearances. Ellie Schill led the team at the plate with two hits on four at-bats and two doubles as the Duhawks came away with six hits. Hemm's pitching also limited the Prairie Wolves to six hits but capitalized with five earned runs.

Schill got the Duhawks going in the nightcap with a leadoff double and made it to third off a groundout by Alyssa Hughes. A single by Payton Meier down the left line brought Schill home to put Loras up 1-0 to start the game. The Prairie Wolves answered back with two runs off a pair of doubles to lead 2-1 after one inning but the Duhawks tied it up 2-2 in the fourth. Jadyn Anderson got it rolling with a double to right field and advanced to third off a sac bunt by Abby Jones and scored on the throw on a ground out by Whitney Liepold. The Duhawks kept piling on the runs as Meier opened up the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center, getting Loras on base and setting up Hannah Wubben to come in and pinch run. Wubben scored off an RBI single by Anderson and advanced to second off a single by Jones before she came around home off a sac bunt by Liepold to score. With Jones on second, Emily Monahan got on base with a single to shortstop and both scored off hot bats by Donnell and Morgan Machovec to take hold of a commanding 6-2 lead heading into the final inning. Hemm came in for a final inning and one more strikeout as the Duhawks' defense held steady and denied a comeback attempt for Nebraska Wesleyan.

Schill, Meier, Anderson and Machovec all recorded two hits while Liepold led the team with two RBIs. Reagan Spence got the start in the circle and threw six innings for four strikeouts while Hemm added one.

The Duhawks finish the remarkable 2022 season with the program's first top-25 ranking after opening the season with a nine-game winning streak and posting the most wins in a single season since 2017.