March 19, 2008

Softball Extends Winning Streak to Six; Garner Triple Play

   Minot State Box Score
   Great Falls Box Score 

BILINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings softball team extended its winning streak to six games with two wins Wednesday afternoon at Cenex Stadium.  The Yellowjackets defeated Minot State 9-1 in five innings and shutout Great Falls 9-0 also in five innings, improving to 12-15 on the year. 

MSUB opened the game against Minot State with four runs in the second inning to set the tone for the game.  Minot State committed three errors in the inning leading to the four runs.  All four runs came with two outs. 

In the top of the third, the Jacket defense stepped up as the Beavers put two on with nobody out.  MSU leadoff hitter Sasha Ward lined into an inning-ending triple play to end the threat.  

The Jackets added another run in the third on a RBI single by Kelly Parsons for a 5-0 lead.  Three more runs came across in the fourth inning for an 8-0 lead.  Jessica Frank led-off the inning with her third home run of the season.  Stephanie Gosselin hit a two RBI double to the gap for the next two runs.

Yellowjacket hurler Rebekah Tsatsa had a two out, 1-2 count on Shannon Murray in the top of the fifth as she took Tsatsa deep, putting the Beavers on the board, 8-1.  Jenna Haacke lined a RBI infield single in the bottom of the fifth for a 9-1 lead and the game ended due to the mercy rule.

Four Yellowjackets had two hits in the game.  Gosselin went 2 for 3 with two RBI.  Tsatsa improved to 7-6 on the year as she pitched five innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, one walk and had seven strikeouts.

In the second game of the day for the Yellowjackets, Leslie Davis hit a three run home run in the bottom of the first to put MSUB up on Great Falls, 3-0.  The Argos had a scoring threat in the top of the second as Sarah DeVore hit a leadoff double, but was stranded at third as Yellowjacket hurler Lisa Moore came back with two key strikeouts to get out of the jam.

Shay Oberg battled back from an 0-2 count and drove a 3-2 pitch for her second home run of the season, a two run shot to left center, giving the Yellowjackets a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second. 

Stevie Howard led-off the bottom of the fourth with a double followed by a RBI single by Oberg and a two run home run by Frank, her second of the day and fourth of the season for an 8-0 lead.  A sacrifice fly by Stacks pushed the Yellowjacket lead to 9-0.

Moore and the Yellowjackets retired the Argos in order in the top of the fifth to take the mercy rule 9-0 victory.

Oberg went a perfect 3 for 3 in the game with three runs and three RBI to lead the Yellowjackets.  Frank also went a perfect 2 for 2 in the game with two runs and two RBI as well.  Moore picked up the victory going five innings and allowing a season-low two hits, with one walk and a season-high eight strikeouts. 

The Yellowjackets will be back in action on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene at 11 a.m. at Cenex Stadium.