Yellowjackets Roll On at NCAA Tourney (May 13, 2005)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
CARSON, CA – Veteran teams are able
to bounce back from defeat and disappointment, and the
MSU Billings softball team is a veteran team. With some
timely hitting and a pair of outstanding pitching
performances from senior Joey Ehnes, the third seeded
Yellowjackets knocked the top two seeds out of the NCAA
West Regional on Friday. MSUB
dropped its opening game of the tourney to No. 6 Cal
State-Chico, which has played it way into the championship
game on Saturday.
MSU Billings opened the day with 3-1
win over top seeded Humboldt State, the second-ranked team
in the nation. It was the first ever win for the
Yellowjackets over the Lumberjacks in 10 tries. MSUB sent
the host team home in the nightcap, downing Cal
State-Dominguez Hills 5-2. The Toros were the tourney’s
No. 2 seed.
MSU Billings 3, Humboldt State 1
After an anemic offensive performance against Chico State
in Thursday’s first round, the Yellowjackets wasted no
time getting to the Lumberjacks’ Tracy Motzny.
MSU Billings plated two runs in the first and another in
the third to give Ehnes (Great Falls, MT) all the run
support she need and chase Motzney after two innings.
Ehnes went the distance, scattering five hits and striking
out three over seven innings for her 28th win
of the year.
Ehnes helped her cause at the plate
as well, drawing a pair of walks and scoring twice in the
game. Cami Rainey (Sr., Terreton, ID) and Ehnes drew
back-to-back walks to open the game. Rachel Quarnburg
(So., Billings, MT) followed with a single to right to
score Rainey from second. Two outs later freshman Jenna
Haacke (Billings, MT) singled to center to score Ehnes for
what would turn out to be the winning run.
The Lumberjacks broke through for
their only run against Ehnes in the bottom of the first
when Megan Sutherland singled to drive in Carolyn
Cameron. The Lumberjacks would threaten a couple more
times in the game, but Ehnes and the Yellowjacket defense
shut the door each time.
MSU Billings added an insurance run
in the top of the third inning after Ehnes led off with
her second walk of the game. Quarnburg executed a
successful sacrifice bunt to move Ehnes to second, and
Wankel delivered with a two out RBI single to left to
bring around Ehnes.
The young guns—Wankel and Haacke—had
big games in the biggest spotlight of their careers. Each
went 1-for-3 with an RBI. And they weren’t finished for
the day.
MSU Billings 5, Cal
State-Dominguez Hills 2
The Toros enjoyed a distinct home field advantage on
Thursday and Friday morning with vocal crowds. The
Yellowjackets looked as though they might be the third
straight victim for the Toros on the Toro Diamond. CSUDH
jumped to a 2-0 lead with a run in the first and a run in
the second. Ehnes was getting her second start of the day
and third of the tournament.
The Toros’ Kelli Rodriguez drove in
Jennifer Wilson to give CSUDH a 1-0 lead in the first
inning. In the second, Wilson doubled to left center to
score pinch runner Mallary Gaydos. From that point the
game belonged to the Yellowjackets.
MSU Billings broke into the scoring
column with a run in the bottom of the second inning on a
Theresa Campbell (Sr., Great Falls, MT) solo home run to
deep left center. The blast was Campbell’s fifteenth
homer of the season, tying the PacWest Conference single
season record.
MSU Billings opened a 4-2 lead with
three runs in the bottom of the third. Ehnes started the
rally with a one out single to right, and Quarnburg
followed with high-bouncing single to shortstop. After
Campbell struck out, Wankel singled to center to drive in
Ehnes, tying the game. At that point Anna Henderson (Jr.,
Frenchtown, MT) pinch ran for Quarnburg, and the move paid
off on the next at bat. Haacke drove a shot to the left
center fence, scoring Wankel and Henderson for the two run
lead.
Ehnes took over at that point, not
allowing a run over the final five innings. In seven
innings of work, she struck out seven and allowed seven
hits. The win improved her season record to 29-10, likely
locking up a spot for her on the all-tournament team.
Wankel and Haacke drove in two runs
apiece. Wankel was 2-for-2 at the plate and scored a
run. Haacke went 1-for-2 before being replaced in the
fourth by Jessica Frank (Fr., Great Falls, MT). The Frank
for Haacke substitution pattern has been successful for
the Jackets all season as the two have split time at
second base.
In their first ever trip to the NCAA
Tournament, the Yellowjackets will be playing on
Championship Saturday. MSUB will meet the No. 4 seed, San
Francisco State, at 11:00 a.m. PST in the loser out
semifinal game. The winner advances to take on Chico
State in the title game at 1:30 p.m. PST. Chico will have
two chances to win the title after entering Saturday
unbeaten. In the double elimination tourney, MSUB or SFSU
will need to beat the Wildcats twice to win the title.
As they have been all week, the
Yellowjackets’ games will be broadcast via the web at www.msubillings.edu/athletics. Clear Channel’s Rob
Kovatch will be calling the action.
NCAA Tourney Capsules
(Courtesy of CSU-Dominguez Hills)
GAME 5:
#2 CSUDH 9, #5 UHH 8 (8) - HAWAII HILO ELIMINATED
GAME 6: #3 MSUB 3, #1 HSU 1 - HUMBOLDT STATE ELIMINATED
GAME 7: #6 CSUC 1, #4 SFSU 0
GAME 8: #3 MSUB 5, # 2 CSUDH 2 - CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS
ELIMINATED
TOROS COME FROM
BEHIND TO DEFEAT HAWAII-HILO IN EXTRA INNINGS, 9-8
CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--Host Cal State Dominguez
Hills came back from an 8-4 deficit scoring five
unanswered runs to knock Hawaii-Hilo out of the 2005 NCAA
II Far West Regional by a score of 9-8 in eight innings
Friday afternoon at Toro Diamond.
Linda Reyes keyed the comeback going 3-for-4 on the
day while driving in three RBI, including a 2-run, two-out
base hit that tied the game in the top of the seventh
sending the contest into extra innings.
CSUDH (46-11) took the lead, 9-8, in the top of the
eighth after Jennifer Wilson's infield single scored Cindy
Perry, who reached earlier on a walk then stole second
base.
Toro pitcher Valerie Long (21-5), who came on in the
third inning in relief, allowed a one-out single in the
bottom of the eighth. However, the senior hurler retired
the final two batters to keep the Toros alive while
sending Hawaii-Hilo home early in the double-elimination
tournament.
UHH (31-11) took a 8-4 lead after three innings with a
3-run homer in the second by Haunani Haasenritter. Then
in the third the Vulcans plated five runs on
back-to-back-to-back long balls, the big blow coming from
Leo Sing-Chow's 3-run shot.
Sing-Chow (9-5) took the loss going the final 1.1
innings allowing one run on two hits. Starter Sarah
Steele tossed the first 5.2 innings allowing six runs on
nine hits.
No. 2 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills will continue on
in the elimination bracket taking on the winner of the
MSU Billings/Humboldt State game at 4:30 p.
NO. 1 SEED
HUMBOLDT STATE SENT HOME EARLY AFTER FALLING TO MONTANA
STATE-BILLINGS, 3-1
CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--Top seed Humboldt State
was sent home early from the 2005 NCAA II Far West Region
Championship Tournament after falling to No. 3 seed
Montana State-Billings, 3-1, in an elimination game Friday
afternoon at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The Yellowjackets got a solid complete-game pitching
performance by Joey Ehnes (28-10) who scattered five hits
over seven innings while striking out three. Lumberjack
starter Tracy Motzny (30-3) took the loss going the first
2.0 innings allowing two runs on four hits.
MSUB (35-13) took an early 2-0 lead in the first after
RBI singles from Rachel Ouarnburg and Jenna Haacke.
Humboldt State (60-6), who came into the regional
ranked No. 2 in the latest NFCA national poll, cut the
lead in half with a run in the bottom of the first on a
two-out RBI single by Megan Sutherland.
MSU Billings went up 3-1 in the third on a Christy
Wankel clutch RBI single with two outs. Ehnes took over
from there allowing only three hits the rest of the way to
keep the Yellowjackets alive.
MSU Billings will now take on host Cal State Dominguez
Hills, who knocked off Hawaii-Hilo in the early game, 9-8,
today at 4:30 p.m. Humboldt State, who only had four
losses the entire season coming into the regional, ends
the season on a three-game skid.
NO. 6 CHICO WINS
THIRD IN A ROW, BEATS SAN FRANCISCO STATE, 1-0
CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--No. 6 seed Chico State
advanced through the winner's bracket with a 1-0 shutout
victory over No. 4 seed San Francisco State at the NCAA II
Far West Region Championship Tournament at Cal State
Dominguez Hills.
Chico's Katie Stokx and Gator starter Sonja Garnett
were locked up in a good 'ol fashioned pitcher's duel
until Chico State broke through with a run in the fifth
inning on an RBI infield single off the bat of Amber Neves
with runners on second and third.
That was all the support Stokx (14-7) would need as
she shut down SFSU the rest of the way to propel the
Wildcats to the championship game tomorrow. Stokx
registered six strikeouts en route to the two-hit shutout
despite walking four batters.
Garnett (27-8), who has been nearly flawless in the
tournament, was the tough-luck loser allowing the lone run
while scattering six hits over six innings. Garnett also
struck out four in the game.
Chico State (33-14) will now play the winner of the
San Francisco State/Montana State-Billings elimination
game that begins tomorrow at 11 AM. The Wildcats, who
will play tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., only need a split with
either the Gators or the Yellowjackets to advance to the
NCAA II Softball World Series for the second time in the
past four years.
MONTANA STATE
BILLINGS STAYS ALIVE WITH 5-2 WIN OVER NO. 2 SEED AND HOST
CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS
CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--No. 3 seed Montana State
Billings (36-13) slayed its second Far West giant of the
afternoon, taking a 5-2 decision over No. 2 seed and host
Cal State Dominguez Hills at the NCAA Far West Region
Championship Tournament.
After the Toros scored the game’s first two runs, the
Yellowjackets answered with the final five to take the win
and advance to Saturday’s early game, where they will face
No. 4 seeded San Francisco State, losers of a 1-0 decision
to No. 6 Chico State one game earlier.
With CSUDH holding a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of
the 3rd inning, MSUB starter Joey Ehnes and Rachel
Quarnburg hit consecutive one-out singles, and were
followed by Christy Wankel, who connected for an RBI
single off CSUDH starter Jackie Miller (18-4). Jenna
Haacke followed with a booming double to left-center to
bring home Quarnburg, and when the ball was bobbled in the
outfield, Wankel scampered home from 1st base for the
third run of the inning.
Ehnes took care of the rest, limiting CSUDH (46-12) to
two hits after the 2nd inning to pick up the win (29-10),
fanning seven Toros against four walks.
MSUB will play San Francisco State tomorrow at 11
a.m., with the winner advancing to play Chico State at
1:30 p.m. |
