Jackets March Past Saints, 8-7 and 8-4

Game 1
Game 2

LACEY, Wash. – The Montana State Billings softball team used a seventh inning comeback in game one and an offensive explosion in game two to take a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games from Saint Martin’s University Saturday afternoon on the SMU campus. The Yellowjackets defeated the Saints 8-7 and 8-4 to improve to 19-22 on the season and 16-14 in conference play.

“I’m very pleased with the effort,” said MSUB Head Coach, Anthony Stone. “We had both games in hand but Saint Martin’s did a great job of coming back, but our girls never gave up and battled back to close out the games. We had a couple big hits in both games that really made a difference and I’m happy with the effort. Now we need to keep the momentum going and carry it into tomorrow’s games.”

The Yellowjackets were led by junior Kaycee Hoffman, going 4-for-7 on the day with four runs, five RBI and a pair of home runs. Kelly Parsons and Rachel Eisenmann were the only other players with multiple RBI’s, getting three apiece.

MSUB got the scoring started in game one when Hoffman doubled two score Stevie Howard and Amanda Goings with two away. Hoffman then advanced to third on a wild pitch from Amanda Arnzen, and then scored on an error by Jaimee Aiwohi.

Two more runs were put on the board in third after Hoffman blasted a pitch to left field for her first home run of the afternoon, scoring Whitney Whittemore, who had reached on an error. MSUB scored again in the fifth when Parsons grounded out but managed to score Whittemore for a 6-0 lead.

Yellowjackets starter, Lindsey Trenary, managed to avoid damage until the Saints erupted for three runs in the bottom of the fifth and four runs in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead into the seventh. The Jackets looked to have something going in the top of the seventh when Goings singled to start the inning, but Whittemore quickly lined into a double play leaving the Jackets with one out.

In the next at bat, Parsons took a pitch to center field for a home run that tied the game at seven. Hoffman then drove a pitch again over the left field fence for the go-ahead run. Trenary made the lead stand up in the seventh, though she was in trouble with the bases loaded, getting Emily Squiers to ground out to end the game.

Trenary threw seven complete innings, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits and struck out eight. The Yellowjackets outhit the Saints 12-10 and committed a pair of errors in the game.

In game two, Josie Grotbo got all of the offensive help she needed, getting the win while throwing seven full innings, allowing four runs on 13 hits and walking just one. The Jackets were outhit 13-8 but took advantage of four Saints errors in the game.

Leading 2-0 going into the fifth, MSUB exploded for six runs on five hits. Parsons doubled in Howard with one out and then Angela Lingle singled in Whittemore the bags full. Eisenmann then cleared the bases with a three-RBI double and the final run was scored when Eisenmann came around on a throwing error.

The Saints managed to score a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings but that was as close as they would get.