April 17, 2008

Yellowjacket Softball Travels to Western Oregon and Saint Matin’s for Crucial Road Series’

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings softball team will conclude its regular season road schedule with a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Sunday at Western Oregon and Saint Martin’s, respectively.

The Yellowjackets enter the week on the heels of a three-game winning streak and have won 14 of 16.  Last week, MSUB went 5-1 on the road winning a crucial road series at then-first-place Central Washington, 11-1 and 4-3, along with winning three of four at Northwest Nazarene as it improved to 20-17 overall and 9-5 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  With the victories, the Jackets pulled into a three-way tie for first in the league with Seattle University and Central Washington.  Western Oregon and Western Washington are just one game back.

In addition to the winning streak, Jessica Frank and Lisa Moore earned conference Player of the Week and co-Pitcher of the week honors for their play last week.  Frank had 13 hits, including a “double cycle” in 24 at bats.  She tallied seven singles, two doubles, two triples and two home runs, while driving in nine runs and stole three bases.  Moore went 4-0 for the week, allowing 17 hits an fanning 21 in 21 2/3 innings and improved to 8-5 on the year.

Leading the way for the Yellowjackets this season is Terina Stacks who is hitting .388 on the year in all 37 games. She has a team-high 45 hits and is slugging .578.  Frank is second on the squad in average at .383.  She leads the team in just about every other offensive category, including triples (3), home runs (9), RBIs (28), total bases (84) and slugging percentage at a .730 clip.  Frank also leads the team in stolen bases swiping 12 bases in 13 attempts.  Stephanie Gosselin upped her average to .380 as seven Yellowjackets are hitting over .300.

As a team, the Yellowjackets are hitting .318 with 52 doubles, seven triples, 32 home runs and 165 RBIs which all are more than their opponents.  The team is slugging .480 as well. 

In the circle, Moore leads the team with a 2.85 ERA and an 8-5 record.  She has appeared in 17 games and started 12 with nine complete games in 82.2 innings of work.  Moore also has fanned 60 and walked 30.  Rebekah Tsatsa has a 2.90 ERA and a 9-6 record on the year in a team-high 106.1 innings.  She leads the team with 80 strikeouts and 31 walks and teams are hitting just .246 against her. 

As a staff, the Yellowjackets carry a 3.45 ERA in 241.2 innings of work and have 178 strikeouts as a team.  The opponents are hitting .270 against them.

Western Oregon enters the week as one of three GNAC schools ranked in the West Region Top 10.  The Wolves are seventh, followed by Seattle and Western Washington stands at 10^th.  WOU boasts a 21-14 record and a 9-5 record in conference play. 

Leading the way for the Wolves is Tyler Sutherland who is leading the team at a .355 clip.  She leads the team with 44 hits, four home runs and 63 total bases while slugging .508.  Trina Dorn is second on the squad with a .346 average, while Jessica Hallmark is third at .333 and leads the team with 16 RBIs. 

The pitching staff has been masterful this season, with three of four hurlers having ERAs under 3.00.  Katie Fleer leads the team with a 12-4 record and a 1.44 ERA in 18 appearances.  She has started 15 games in 102 innings of work.  Fleer also has fanned 113 and walked just 20.  Jessica Wood boasts a 1.88 ERA and a 6-2 record in 56 innings pitched.

WOU’s staff is allowing opponents to hit just .210 on the year.

Despite the impressive numbers, the Yellowjackets swept the series with the Wolves in Billings Mar. 15.  MSUB posted victories of 2-1 and 6-4.  In the opener, Stacks blasted a solo home run to break a 1-1 tie in the fourth.  In the nightcap, the Jackets scored six runs in two innings as Stacks blasted her second home run of the day, followed by a Gosselin two run shot in the fourth inning as MSUB scored four times to open a 6-3 lead.

Saint Martin’s enters the week with a 16-25 record and a 4-10 record in conference play after being swept at Western Oregon on Tuesday.  Holly Morris leads the team with a .374 average, 43 hits, nine doubles, 11 home runs and 34 RBI.  She has tallied 85 total bases and is slugging .739 on the year. 

The staff is led by Alicia Fuchs who carries a 1.72 ERA and a 6-3 record in 17 appearances.  She has made seven starts and one complete game in 57 innings of work.  Brandi Klemm leads the team in innings pitched with 88 and has a 5-6 record on the year along with a 3.58 ERA.  Klemm leads the team with 39 strikeouts and 19 walks.   

The Jackets posted a doubleheader sweep of the Saints in Billings on Mar. 14.  MSUB won a pair of three run games, 9-6 and 8-5.  In the opener, seven Yellowjacket runs in the sixth inning broke open a 2-2 game aided by three SMU errors for the victory.  In the nightcap, three runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the sixth garnered the 8-5 victory.  Shay Oberg belted a two run home run and a Frank home run highlighted the victory. 

After the games this week, the Yellowjackets return home for the rest of the season, hosting regionally-ranked Seattle and Western Washington next week and conclude the regular season May 3 against Central Washington.