Tough Outing for Jackets in Day Two of Tournament of Champions

Box Score - Sonoma State
Box Score - UC-San Diego
Box Score - CSU Monterey Bay

TURLOCK, Calif. – After splitting a pair of games on day one, the Montana State Billings Yellowjacket softball squad dropped three games on day two of the Mizuno Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif. The Yellowjackets fell to 12-14 on the season with losses to no. 14 Sonoma State (3-2), UC-San Diego (13-0) and Cal State Monterey Bay (8-3).

The Yellowjackets combined for just five runs on 15 hits and five RBI as a team in the three games. Amanda Hood and Jenna VanEyekeren were the only players to record multi-hit games, as Kelly Parsons was the only player with a multi-RBI game after a three-run homer against Monterey Bay. Defensively the Yellowjackets committed six errors as the pitching staff allowed 21 earned runs.

In the first game against Sonoma State, the Yellowjackets trailed 3-0 after the fourth but got on the board thanks in part to a collapse in the Seawolves’ defense. Stevie Howard reached on an error then stole second and advanced to third on a fielding error. She came across the plate when Kaycee Hoffman walked as did Angela Lingle to plate Whitney Whittemore.

MSUB was unable to get anything else in the sixth and seventh frame. Lindsey Trenary had another strong showing in the loss, going the distance for two earned runs on four hits while striking out a season-high nine batters.

The bats went cold in the second game against UC-San Diego, as the Yellowjackets could only gather four hits in a five inning run-rule game. Hood came away with a pair of hits as Amanda Goings and Hoffman were the only other Jackets to get hits.

Trailing 3-0 after three, Josie Grotbo got into trouble in the fourth, surrendering seven runs on seven hits. For the game, Grotbo went 3 1/3 innings with 10 runs, 8 earned, on 11 hits while striking out one. Trenary finished the game, allowing three runs, all earned, on five hits and fanning two in taking the loss and falling to 8-4 on the season.

The game was cut short in the fifth innings due to the mercy rule as UC-San Diego tacked on another three runs in the fifth to finish the game with 13 runs on 16 hits.

In the final game of the afternoon, MSUB jumped out to an early 3-0 lead when Parsons belted her three-run home run, her fifth of the season, to plate VanEyekeren and Whittemore after they singled and were hit by a pitch, respectively.

Monterey Bay tied the game at 3-3 in the third after Shae Olds took Grotbo deep for a three-run homer. CSUMB took the lead in the very next inning with a pair of runs and topped off the scoring with three more runs in the fifth.

Grotbo took the loss to drop to 2-4 on the season, throwing 4 1/3 innings with four runs, all earned on nine hits. Trenary also threw 1 2/3 innings allowing four runs on four hits.

The Yellowjackets finished the game with three runs on five hits and committed just one error. MSUB did leave six ducks on the pond while CSUMB stranded seven after collecting 13 hits.

The Yellowjackets finished pool play with a 1-4 record in Pool B and will play in the bronze bracket on day three of the Mizuno Tournament of Champions. Bracket play takes place tomorrow morning as the Yellowjackets will draw an opponent from another pool.