Jackets Get Split With Viking, 5-10 and 7-5

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont. – Cold weather settled on the Billings area but the bats were hot as Montana State Billings and Western Washington University combined for 45 hits and 27 runs in their double-header softball games at Cenex Stadium Friday afternoon. The Yellowjackets and Vikings split the Great Northwest Athletic Conference twinbill, the Vikings taking game one, 10-5 and the Jackets winning game two, 7-5.

The Yellowjackets moved to 21-28 on the season while going to 18-20 in GNAC play. Western Washington went to 26-24 with the split and is now 21-16 in league play.

Kaycee Hoffman and Amanda Goings led the Yellowjackets as Hoffman went 4-for-5 with a run scored, a home run, two RBI and a pair of walks. Goings went 5-for-7 during the afternoon, scoring twice as all five hits came in the form of singles.  Rachel Eisenmann also had a solid day as she went 3-for-6 with a run, a double, a home run and five RBI.

In game one, Eisenmann gave MSUB a 2-1 lead early in the bottom of the first when she doubled to right center to score Stevie Howard and Goings. The Yellowjackets struck for two more in the third to take a 4-2 lead when Hoffman singled up the middle to score Whitney Whittemore and then Ashely Moeller scored on a fielding error by the centerfielder, Karli Baumgartner.

Jordan Emmil tied the game at four in the fifth inning for the Vikings, singling through the left side and scoring Michelle Wrigley and Hilary Cosentino on the play. The Vikings struck for three more in the sixth and seventh innings to stretch their lead to 10-4.

MSUB got a run back in the seventh as Eisenmann hit her sixth home run of the year. MSUB starting pitcher Lindsey Trenary took the loss to fall to 13-13 on the season. Trenary allowed 10 runs on 13 hits in seven full innings and struck out a career-high nine batters.

Josie Grotbo (6-9) had her command working in game two for MSUB, throwing seven full innings and allowing just three earned runs on 10 hits.

Down 2-0 in the third, MSUB exploded for five runs on six hits, including three home runs. Angela Lingle started the inning with her third home run of the season followed by a pair of outs. With two away, Goings singled down the right field line followed by a Becca Frank triple, scoring Goings.

In the very next at bat, Whittemore drove a first pitch to left field for her sixth homer of the season and was followed by Hoffman driving out her team-leading 10th home run of the year.

WWU countered in the fourth with a trio of runs off of an error by Grotbo. The Yellowjackets went ahead for the final time in the sixth with a pair of runs after Eisenmann singled through the right side to score Whittemore and Ashley Moeller from third and second.

The two run lead was enough for Grotbo as she put the Vikings down in order in the sixth with just three pitches and then closed out the seventh after allowing two base-runners aboard.