Griz softball hosts Carroll College and Southern Utah
4/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Montana Griz softball team will host two different teams this week, facing the Carroll College Saints on Thursday, and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday and Sunday.
Montana (9-28, 5-7 BSC) will play Carroll at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, and Southern Utah at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, and at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
"Anytime you can step out of conference play, and get to work on things in game situations it is always good. It will be another two games under our belt," head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. "I think our hitting was there last week, we just didn't come through with clutch hits. I think our pitching and hitting, for the most part, have been good enough to win, we just need to be able to tie everything together to get some more wins."
"We can sit here and sugarcoat it all we want, but it is a pretty crucial series. We need to remain in the race."
Southern Utah (13-24, 5-7 BSC)
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds are tied with the Montana Griz for fifth place in the Big Sky Conference, with a record of 13-4, 5-7 BSC.
On offense, the Thunderbirds are led by Sara Park and Kaitlin Williams. Park has a batting average of .325, and has 11 RBI's this season. She has a team-high 38 hits. Williams leads the team in both home runs and RBI's. She has six home runs so far this season, and 19 RBI's.
Williams also has the highest on-base percentage on the team, .457.
On the mound, all three of Southern Utah's pitchers all have a similar earned run average. The Thunderbirds are led by Katie Greenberg, has and era of 6.01, and a team-high 38 strikeouts and 100.1 innings pitched.
Second on the team, is Hanna Wynn, who has an era of 6.18 and 21 strikeouts this year. Greenberg has a record of 8-11, and Wynn is 3-6.
Southern Utah is ranked sixth in the BSC in both batting and pitching.
Carroll College (12-22)
The Saints currently have a record of 12-22, competing in the NAIA division. The Saints' offense is led by Allison Bayer and Paige Blake. Bayer leads Carroll in almost every offensive category. She has five home runs this season, 23 RBI's, a .407 batting average and a slugging percentage of .593.
On the mound, the Saints are led by Megan Gipe, who has a team-high 65 strikeouts. Gipe has pitched 110.2 innings this year and has a record of 7-12. Second on the Saints' pitching staff is MacKenna Landis. Landis has a record of 4-6, and has 27 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched.
Griz Notes:
Big Sky Ranks
Montana ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference in hitting, with a combined batting average of .275. The Griz rank fifth in the conference in pitching, with an era of 4.95.
Merritt on a hot streak
Madeline Merritt hit .600 last weekend against Northern Colorado, tied for best on the team with Colburn. She also had an on-base percentage of .750, being walked two times.
Pitcher of the Week
Kenzie Cole won Big Sky Conference Pitcher of the Week earlier this season, after going 2-0, with an era of 1.80 against North Dakota. This is the first time ever that a softball athlete from Montana has been given the award.
Finally a home field
The Montana Griz won their first ever home game on their newly built Grizzly Softball Field on March 23, 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 .391 and 35 RBI's. Colburn is right behind her, with a batting average of .372 and 24 RBI's.
Brenneis also leads the Griz with nine home runs. Colburn has six home runs.
Veteran on the mound
Cole leads Montana in most pitching categories. Cole has an earned run average of 4.11, she has 75 strikeouts on the season and she has a total of 121 innings pitched.
Cole (5-13) is the only senior on Montana's roster, having transferred to the Grizzlies from Boise State last fall.
Crossing home
Gabby Martinez is one of Montana's leading run scorers, tallying 22 so far this season. Martinez is hitting .245, with an on-base percentage of .342. Martinez also leads Montana in steals, with 13.
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.
