Griz travel to California to face Sacramento State
3/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Montana Griz softball team will travel to Sacramento, California this weekend to face the Sacramento State Hornets.
Montana (5-22, 1-2 BSC) is coming off its first ever weekend of Big Sky Conference competition, where they went 1-2 against the defending champion Idaho State Bengals.
Montana will play a doubleheader against Sacramento State on Saturday, with games at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The teams will then play again at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The Griz will then travel to Davis, California to play a single game against UC Davis on March 31.
"I like the way the team performed last weekend, we just need to learn how to finish," head coach Jamie Pinkerton. "The team got better, but I think we need to continue to improve and learn how to complete games."
"It's going to be a tough road trip. We just have to go out, pitch well, play good defense and have timely hitting."
Sacramento State (13-16, 3-0 BSC)
Sacramento State comes into its series with Montana having won four consecutive games; the Hornets will play a single game against California on Wednesday before they face the Grizzlies.
During their four-game winning streak the Hornets are averaging six runs per game and batting .362 as a team. Their pitching staff has combined for an earned run average of 0.78 over the four game stretch.
On offense, the Hornets are led by outfielders Paige Martin and Alexa Chattleton, and first baseman Sasha Marqulies. Marquilies leads the team in both home runs and RBI's, with two home runs on the season and 14 RBI's. She has a batting average of .378, he second highest on the team.
Chattleton leads the Hornets in batting average, hitting .384 on the season. Chattleon also has seven RBI's. Martin is hitting .312 on the season, with 13 RBI's and one home run.
Four players on the Hornets roster have an on-base percentage of .400 or higher: Marquiles, Chattleton, Martin and Korney Solis.
On the mound, the Hornets are led by freshman Celina Matthias, who has already thrown 101.2 innings this season. Matthias is 7-7, and has an era of .241. She has 55 strikeouts on the season. The Hornets other weapon on the mound is senior Caitlin Brooks, who is 5-3 and leads the team with 59 strikeouts. Brooks has an era of 2.98.
UC Davis (11-14)
UC Davis is 11-14 on the season, and 3-0 at home. The Aggies offensive attack is led by Christa Castello and Alexis Carney. Castello is hitting .368 with 12 RBI's and Carney is hitting .333 with two home runs and 16 RBI's.
On the mound, the Aggies are led by Leah Munden who is 7-4 on the season. Munden has an era of 3.73 and allows opposing batters to hit .323. She has 23 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched.
Griz notes:
Brenneis on a tear
Freshman catcher Lexie Brenneis, who leads Montana in most offensive categories, hit three home runs last weekend, including a three-run shot in the first inning of Montana's 6-3 victory.
Brenneis hit .750 last weekend with seven RBI's and a slugging percentage of 2.125. She was also walked four times.
Finally a home The Montana Griz won their first ever home game on their newly built Grizzly Softball Field last weekend with a 6-3 victory over the defending champion Idaho State Bengals. The win was also Montana's first ever Big Sky Conference win.
Top offensive performers
Two Grizzlies have emerged as Montana's top performance on offense: Lexie Brenneis and Delene Colburn.
Brenneis leads Montana in both batting average and RBI's, with an average of .423 and 25 RBI's. Colburn is right behind her, with a batting average of .341 and 19 RBI's.
Both Brenneis and Colburn have five home runs apiece.
Veteran on the mound
Kenzie Cole leads Montana in most pitching categories. Cole has an earned run average of 4.03, she has 54 strikeouts on the season and she has a total of 88.2 innings pitched.
Cole (3-10) is the only senior on Montana's roster, having transferred to the Grizzlies from Boise State last fall.
Crossing home
Gabby Martinez leads Montana in runs scored, tallying 17 so far this season. Martinez is hitting .260, with an on-base percentage of .349.
Martinez also leads Montana in steals, with 10.
Clean defense
Seven of Montana's players still have a fielding percentage of 1.000, meaning they have not committed any errors so far this season.
Extra innings
Montana played in two extra inning games last weekend at the Springhill Suites Invitational. The Griz lost 4-3 to Boise State in eight innings, and defeated Saint Mary's 5-4 in eight innings.
Programs first victory
Montana captured its first ever victory with an 11-5 victory over San Diego on February 14. Meggie Reitz got the win for the Griz, allowing four earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched.
Young squad
Fifteen of Montana's players are freshmen.
