Lady Jackets Lose Late to Kingsville (2/18/06)

PHOENIX, AZ – Two Javelina runs in the top of the seventh inning knocked the Montana State-Billings softball team out of the Schutt Sports/Division II Leadoff Classic on Saturday.   Texas A&M-Kingsville rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the final inning to drop the Yellowjackets to 3-8 overall.

After giving up a run in the top of the first, the Yellowjackets answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.  Christy Wankel (Sr., Great Falls, MT) drove in Anna Henderson (Sr., Frenchtown, MT) to start the scoring.  A few batters later Cari Dunlap (Jr., Billings, MT) singled in Rachel Quarnburg (Jr., Billings, MT).

The Javelinas tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth.  MSU Billings regained the lead in the bottom half of the sixth on an RBI single by Aysha Maddox (Jr., Richland, WA), plating Wankel.  Maddox and Wankel were each 1-for-3 in the game.  The Javelinas used a couple walks to their advantage in the top of the seventh, scoring the winning run on a two-RBI single.

Lisa Moore (Fr., Bakersfield, CA) took the loss, giving up four runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings.  Terina Stacks (Fr., Washougal, WA) pitched the final out of the seventh.  The Yellowjackets went down in order in the bottom half of the seventh.

MSU Billings, which has been on the road for over a week, will be idle until March 2 when they play at the Central Washington Invitational in Richland, WA.  The Jackets will play eight games in four days.  MSUB is scheduled to open its home season on March 11 against Dickinson State.