Tripleheader Highlights Final Weekend of Yellowjacket Softball (Apr. 29, 2004)
BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings
softball team will try to close out its strong second half of the
season on another positive note this weekend when the
Yellowjackets host University of Northern Colorado for four
games. Three of those games will be played on Saturday, May 1
with scheduled game times of 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. The series
will wrap up with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. All games
will be played at Cenex Stadium.
The Yellowjackets rallied to win 2-1 at
Northern Colorado on April 21. Joey Ehnes pitched a complete game
victory and also homered in the game. The second game in Greeley
was rained out and will be made up as part of Saturday’s
tripleheader.
Since posting a 9-22 record to begin the
season, the Jackets have won 14 of their last 20 games to improve
to 23-28 overall. They were also 6-2 in their final PacWest
Conference games to finish the conference season 6-14. They won
three of four games against Hawaii Pacific when the Sea Warriors
were ranked in the top 10 in the West Region, and followed by
winning three of four against BYU-Hawaii last weekend.
Ehnes has had an outstanding year, leading
the team offensively in runs scored (28) and RBI (30) while
posting a .275 batting average and .328 on base percentage. She
has also been the Jackets’ top pitcher, going 19-16 with a 2.00
ERA in 39 appearances. In 217 innings pitched, Ehnes has struck
out 241 batters while walking just 60. While opposing teams are
hitting .252 against the Yellowjackets’ entire staff, they are
batting just .214 against Ehnes.
With Ehnes shining in the second half of the
season, the Yellowjacket offense has had opportunities to put up
big numbers as well. Three players have moved their season
batting averages over the .300 mark, and six Yellowjackets have on
base percentages over .300.
Juniors Cami Rainey and Sara Hanley lead the
team in batting average with each batting .311. Junior catcher
Layne Pavey is hitting .303 and is tied with Ehnes for the team
lead with five home runs. Rainey, Ehnes and Pavey each homered
against BYU-Hawaii last weekend and each has a slugging percentage
over .400. Rainey leads the team with a .464 slugging percentage,
followed by Pavey at .461 and Ehnes at .431.
As a team, the Yellowjackets lead the Pacific
West Conference with 28 home runs, averaging just over one homer
every other game. They have been particularly explosive at Cenex
Stadium hitting 17 dingers in 12 home games. Opponents have added
eight homers for a total of 25, or 2.1 per game, at the
hitter-friendly Cenex Stadium.
It has become difficult for opponents to
pitch around any one MSUB hitter to stay out of trouble as six
Yellowjackets have at least three home runs this season.
Following Ehnes and Pavey, Rainey, Stephanie Cochrun and Theresa
Campbell all have four home runs apiece, and Christy Wankel has
three. Hawaii Pacific tried to pitch around a hot-hitting
Campbell three weeks ago, walking her seven times in four games
including four times in one game. Her Yellowjacket teammates
responded with six home runs in the four-game series, with
Campbell adding two more of her own.
With warm weather forecasted for this
weekend’s games against Northern Colorado, home run balls may once
again be bouncing off the Rimrocks. The Bears have had a tough go
in their first year as a Division I team, posting a 6-26 overall
record. They were swept in a doubleheader at Creighton on
Wednesday by scores of 13-1 and 14-1.
Despite the struggles of the Bears’ pitching
staff—none of their three pitchers has an ERA below 4.50—the UNC
offense has had its bright spots. Great Falls, Mont., native Erin
Peterson has had a stellar senior season, batting .433 with nine
home runs and 25 RBI. She reaches base nearly every other trip to
the plate, posting a .526 on base percentage. She also has a .844
slugging percentage with 17 extra base hits. Junior Whitney
Platten has been the Bears’ other offense threat, batting .370
with 22 RBI and six home runs. |
