Lady Jackets Split at Cent. WA Invite (3/2/06)
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RICHLAND, WA – The Montana State-Billings softball team earned a two-game split on the first day of the Central Washington Invitational Thursday.  The Yellowjackets defeated Western Oregon, 3-1, in the morning before falling to Northwest Nazarene 10-2 in one of the day’s late games.

MSU Billings, 4-9 overall, will continue play at the CWU tournament on Friday with games against Grand Canyon, Humboldt State, and St. Martin’s.  The Jackets have already faced Grand Canyon twice this season, splitting two games in Phoenix on the opening weekend.  Humboldt State was the top-ranked team in the nation in the NFCA preseason poll.

In the win against Western Oregon, freshman pitcher Lisa Moore (Bakersfield, CA) went the distance for her third win of the season.  She scattered five hits and one earned run over seven innings, walking four and striking out four.  The Yellowjacket offense used a three-run fifth inning to stake Moore to the 3-1 lead.

Christy Wankel (Sr., Great Falls, MT) went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and two RBI.  Aysha Maddox (Jr., Richland, WA) was 1-for-2 with an RBI.  Lorel Palmer (Jr., Ogden, UT), Crystal Bentley (Fr., Bothell, WA), and Moore each scored a run.  The Wildcats’ only run of the game came when Shannon Prochaska hit Moore’s first pitch of the game out of the park.

Northwest Nazarene put seven runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning to down the Jackets in five innings.  Rebekah Tsatsa (Fr., Eagle, ID) took the loss, giving up five runs and six hits in three innings.  Terina Stacks (Fr., Washougal, WA) closed out the game and allowed four hits and five earned runs in two innings. 

The Crusaders homered twice and pounded out 10 hits.  Natalie Newgent had four RBI on a fourth-inning grand slam.  For the Yellowjackets, Maddox went 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, a run, and an RBI.