Montana ready for three games against Boise State

A road trip to Boise awaits the Montana softball team this weekend, as they will take on Boise State in a three-game series after opening the weekend against Big Sky opponent Idaho State.

A look back: The Grizzlies had a long, rainy weekend in Seattle, where Montana finished 0-3 after having three games cancelled because of weather.

Montana opened with losses to Pacific and Kent State, finishing scoreless in both games. The offense didn't push a run across the plate for 14 consecutive innings before scoring in the fifth against No. 8 Washington.

The powerhouse Huskies gave up two runs, but still defeated the Grizzlies 12-2 in five innings.

This weekend: Saturday: vs. Idaho State 12:00 noon; @Boise State 2:30 p.m.
Sunday: @ Boise State 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

A look forward: The Grizzlies will play in front of their home crowd for the first time all season on March 19. They will welcome Nevada and Nebraska-Omaha to Missoula for a four-game weekend.

Offensive woes: In Seattle, Montana only recorded nine hits over the course of three games, while scoring their only runs in the final inning of the Washington game. The last time the Grizzlies had double-digit hits in a game? Feb. 21 against No. 17 Arizona State.

Trending down: Montana put together a tough non-conference schedule this season, which is reflected in recent results. The Griz have lost three straight, and eight of their past nine. The run-rule has ended five of the Grizzlies' last eight games in five innings.

Idaho State (8-11): The Bengals are a traditional power in the Big Sky, winning three consecutive regular season championships. They went through a coaching change this offseason, with Candi Letts taking over at the helm.

The Bengals came out slowly after the change, losing their first six games of the season. They have things back on track, winning five of their last six contests.

They have impressed offensively, with a team average of .320 and three players hitting over .400. Once on base, they have used their speed to swipe 29 bases on the year.

Inside the circle, Idaho State has struggled slightly. They have a team ERA of 4.65, which has been trending downward in their recent hot streak.

Series History: Idaho State defeated Montana 2-1 in a three-game conference series last year in Missoula. The Bengals took the opening day double-header, but the Grizzlies picked up a 6-3 win on Sunday.

Quotes from coach Jamie Pinkerton:

"They are the three-time Big Sky regular season champs, and they are still a good ball club even though they lost a couple players. They started off a little slow because they are learning a new system under a new coach, but they are starting to hit their stride."

"It's a measuring stick game for us, are we truly in the upper echelon or are we in the middle of the pack or are we still a building program coming up? I think this will be a good game to see where we are truly at."

"I think they started slow with coach Letts, but they are getting into the system and they are starting to hit their stride. I think Idaho State is still a very dangerous team."

"I think we're close, but we have to prove to them and the rest of the conference that we are ready to make a move in the Big Sky."

Boise State (4-16): The Broncos had a similar slow start to Idaho State, dropping their first 11 games. Since then, they are right around .500, winning four of their previous nine games.

Montana got a look at Boise State last weekend in Seattle. The Broncos got a road win against Seattle, and lost against Pacific, Bradley and Washington. This won't be the first Big Sky team they've played, with a five-inning loss to Weber State on their schedule.

They are hitting just .252 as a team, and on the other side have a team ERA of 5.45. Their pitchers have struck out just 53 batters while walking 68. Defensively, they have allowed 30 steals on just 32 attempts, a stat that Pinkerton thinks could help his team get their bats back in rhythm.

Quotes from coach: "If you can get your running game going, it seems to open up slots and makes the field move a little bit. It also makes your hitters focus in. If they know someone is running, they know they have to protect them. If we can get runners moving and concentrate on putting the ball in play, that could help our offense."

"In the games I saw in Seattle they hit a couple of home runs, so we'll try to keep the ball in the park and limit damage. We need to play good defense and then break out of our little dry spell at the plate."

Coach Pinkerton on…

…getting well-rested after a busy non-conference schedule.

"The nice thing about this weekend is it's just a two-day tournament instead of three, so that will help get their legs back and then I think they will be excited to come home."

…returning home next weekend.

"We're getting a little road wary, it will nice to be at home, at least for a weekend. I know our players are looking forward to playing at home."

…using this weekend to help get prepared for conference season.

"We'll try to play this as a conference series, because the three-game set is what we have to get used to following next week, playing someone three times in a row. That will be another learning experience for our players."

University of Montana Athletics

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