Montana drops two games in Phoenix

Friday, February 26

Phoenix, Ariz.

11:30 AM

Montana

5-6

Texas State

10-3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Texas State	2	0	0	3	3	8	7	0
Montana	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Montana	0	0	2	0	0	2	6	3
Grand Canyon	1	5	2	1	1	10	14	1

2/26/2016 8:33:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Grizzly softball team dropped a pair of games in five innings Friday in Phoenix, falling to Texas State in the opener and tournament host Grand Canyon in the night game.

"We didn't play any of the three facets well, and when you don't do that you lose ball games," coach Jamie Pinkerton said. "We just didn't play a good brand of softball today."

Texas State 8 (10-3), Montana 0 (5-6) (5 innings)

Texas State lived up to their scouting report, displaying a dominant pitching and defensive performance to shut out the Grizzlies and finish the game in five innings.

The Grizzlies played as the designated home team, and the Bobcats took advantage of a UM walk in the first. After Maddy Stensby allowed a free pass, Corrina Liscano left the park for a two-run homer.

Montana locked in defensively and threatened to score in the bottom of the third. Madison Saacke led off with a walk and was replaced by Alex Wardlow as a pinch runner. Wardlow went to third on a double by Sydney Stites, but Lexie Brenneis popped out to end the inning.

Texas State opened it up in the top of four, scoring three runs on two hits and a Grizzly error. They put the game away in the fifth, scoring three runs and leaving the bases loaded. Montana failed to score in the fifth and the game ended in a run rule.

Grand Canyon 10 (11-3), Montana 2 (5-7) (5 innings)

The competition didn't get any easier for the Grizzlies in the second game of the day, dropping another five inning game to host Antelopes.

Montana committed two errors in the bottom of the first inning to give up a run early, but Grand Canyon flashed their talented offense, which had 87 RBI's through 12 games entering the weekend, in the second.

They got into a frenzy at the plate, scoring five runs on six hits to force Montana starter Haley Young out of the game after just one and two-thirds innings. Big innings have been a plague for this Grizzly defense so far this season.

"Same script, different day," Pinkerton said of the five-run inning. "We're falling victim to a big inning, and what we have to realize is, this is Division-I softball and good teams are going to take advantage of our mistakes."

GCU took a 6-0 lead into the third, where Montana went on a two-out rally to cut into the lead. MaKenna McGill walked, and Stites followed it with a double to put runners on second and third. Lexie Brenneis was credited with two RBI's when she brought them home and reached on an error by the centerfielder.

The lead was cut to 6-2, but Grand Canyon scored four runs over the next three innings to end the game after just five innings.

Montana faced early deficits in both games, and Pinkerton thinks his team is trying to do too much all at once.

"I think it got to a situation where we have players who are not doing as well as they think they should, so they're pressing a bit," Pinkerton said. "Instead of letting the game come to them, they are trying to force the issue and hit a five-run homer, which we all know isn't possible."

Montana gets right back into action tomorrow morning with a rematch against Texas State. They will also play Northern Illinois at 11:30.

"We're going to have to dig into the trenches and play hard, and play ball like we're capable of playing," Pinkerton said.