Yellowjackets Win GNAC Softball Championship

Game 1

Game 2

Photo Gallery

BILLINGS, Mont.- Montana State Billings (30-8 GNAC, 39-12) split with Central Washington (27-11, 31-20) Friday afternoon, winning the first 5-3 and losing the nightcap 5-4. The victory in game one, gave the Yellowjackets the GNAC Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. It was the first conference title in school history. MSUB closes the regular season, Saturday, May 2 at home against Central Washington. The games are scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.

In game one, Central Washington controlled the contest for the early part of the contest. Linse Vlahovich held the Yellowjackets to one hit through the first four innings. CWU got a run in the third for a 1-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, Montana State Billings finally broke through Vlahovich. Whitney Whittemore singled to left field with one out. Bobbie Lee hit a grounder to third that was thrown down the right field fence line. When the dust cleared, Lee was at third and Whittemore had scored.

Stevie Howard then sent the ball over the center field fence to make it 3-1. Terina Stacks and Leslie Davis both singled, then each of them stole a base. Steph Gosselin singled to left field to drive in Stacks and make it 4-1.

In the top of the sixth, the Wildcats made a run. CWU drew two walks and had a batter hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Kasie Conder came in and got a pop up and a strike out. Danielle Monson hit a grounder that was thrown away and allowed two runs to score to make it 4-3.

Conder walked a batter and then struck out a Wildcat to end the inning. In the sixth inning, Kelly Parsons hit a solo shot to left center field to make it 5-3. In the seventh, with a runner at first, Conder struck out Meghan Kopczynski to end the game.

For MSUB, Stacks and Gosselin had two hits each while Howard drove in two runs. Gosselin also stole three bases to tie the school record set by Terina Stacks last year. Moore (11-2) gave up four hits, three runs, none of them earned and struck out six. Conder struck out three batters in two innings for her fourth save of the year.

In Game 2, Central Washington struck first. The Wildcats drew two walks and then Liz Wallace crushed the ball over the left field fence to make it 3-0. CWU added a run in the second inning.

In the third inning with two outs, Stacks and Davis hit back-to-back home runs. Central Washington scored a run in the fifth to make it 5-2.

In the sixth inning, Shay Oberg singled and moved to second on an error by the shortstop. Jenna VanEykeren singled and moved to second on the throw home. Amanda Goings came in to run for VanEykeren.

Central Washington managed to retired the next two batters. Amanda Hood singled through the right side to score Oberg and Goings and make it 5-4. In the seventh inning, Gosselin drew a walked and moved to third on back-to-back sacrifice bunts. CWU got a strikeout to end the game.

Stacks was 3-for-4 and Hood drove in two runs. Davis recorded seven assists to give her 299 in her career, which ties the school record. Tsatsa (6-7) gave up three hits, five runs, four of them earned and struck out four batters in four innings. Josie Grotbo gave up three hits and struck out one batter to push her scoreless inning streak to 10.