Jackets Take Two at Easton Tournament (Apr. 1, 2005)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

MODESTO, CA – The Montana State-Billings softball team kept rolling in the West Region, winning both games Friday at the Easton Tournament of Champions hosted by Cal State-Stanislaus.  The Jackets defeated Western Washington, 9-1, in the early game.  They rallied to down Central Washington, 6-4, in their second game of the day.

The victories improved MSUB to 18-8 overall.  The Jackets are 14-6 against West Region teams and were ranked in the region’s top ten this week in the first regional poll of the year.  The Yellowjackets will be put to the test in Saturday’s round robin play.  They face Hawaii Pacific at 9:00 a.m. and fourth-ranked Humboldt State at 11:15.  HPU entered the weekend at 24-8, and Humboldt is 35-1.  MSUB lost twice at Hawaii Pacific in conference action last week.  Humboldt downed the Jackets 1-0 in early March.

In the early morning game, the Yellowjacket offense awoke in the fourth inning, scoring three runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to end the game with the eight run rule.  Joey Ehnes (Sr., Great Falls, MT) went the distance for the win, scattering five hits over five innings.  She struck out seven without a walk to improve to 13-6.

MSUB led 3-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning.  Rachel Quarnburg (So., Billings, MT) produced all three of the Jackets’ runs in the first three innings.  She hit a solo home run—her third of the year—with two outs in the first.  She followed with a two-RBI single in the third, scoring Cami Rainey (Sr., Terreton, ID) and Sara Hanley (Sr., Kalispell, MT).  Quarnburg was 2-for-2 with three RBI in the game.

The Yellowjackets were opportunistic in manufacturing their final six runs.  Christy Wankel (Jr., Great Falls, MT) led off the fourth inning with a single to left.  After a Layne Pavey (Sr., Spokane, WA) walk, Wankel scored on an Anna Henderson (Jr., Frenchtown, MT) single.  Hanley followed with a single through the left side to score Aysha Blatter (So., Richland, WA), who was pinch running for Pavey.  Rainey’s sac fly with one out plated Henderson from third.

Stephanie Cochrun (Sr., Lake Stevens, WA) and Wankel both singled in the bottom of the fifth.  After Jenna Haacke (Fr., Billings, MT) walked to load the bases with two outs, Henderson singled to score Cochrun. Wankel scored on a throwing error by the shortstop, and Rainey singled to right with the bases loaded to score Blatter, ending the game.

Rainey was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.  Cochrun was 1-for-1 with a run. Henderson drove in two RBI and scored a run, going 2-for-3 at the plate.  Hanley was also 2-for-3, scoring a run and driving in a run.

The Yellowjackets snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the second game.  They jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first.  Rainey scored on a Theresa Campbell (Sr., Great Falls, MT) groundout for the first run.  With two outs, Wankel tripled to plate Ehnes for a 2-0 lead.  Wankel then scored on Haacke’s RBI single.

Central Washington answered with two runs in the bottom of the first and added two more in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.  Jordan Waverek (Sr., Kalispell, MT) pitched five innings for the Yellowjackets, allowing five hits and striking out two.  She was relieved by Ehnes, who pitched the sixth and seventh innings.

Hanley led off the top of the seventh with a single, but was followed by strikeouts from Rainey and Ehnes.  With two outs, Quarnburg walked to advance Hanley to second.  Campbell followed with a single on an 0-2 count to drive in Hanley for the tying run.  Wankel then singled to score Cochrun and Campbell for a 6-4 lead.  Wankel was 2-for-4 in the game with three RBI.  Ehnes struck out two of the three batters she faced in the seventh to close out the game and earn her fourteenth win of the season.  She faced six batters in two innings, striking out five.