Griz look to clinch postseason spot against North Dakota

Wednesday, April 27

Missoula, Mont.

3:30 PM

Montana

Great Falls

Griz look to clinch postseason spot against North Dakota

4/26/2016 10:01:00 PM | Softball

By: Montana Sports Information

The Grizzly softball team could clinch its first postseason appearance this weekend, as they travel to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota in the second-to-last conference series of the year.

A LOOK BACK: In Cedar City, Utah, the Grizzlies won their second road series of the season, taking two of three from the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.

In the opener, the Grizzlies set program records for hits and the largest deficit overcome, winning 14-13 after trailing 12-2. They lost the second game 5-2, but earned the series win with a 14-7 victory in the final game.

THIS WEEK: Great Falls visits Missoula for a Wednesday doubleheader at Grizzly Softball Field, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Montana then hits the road for a series against North Dakota. The two teams kick things off with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon and finish with a Sunday game at 11 a.m.

A LOOK AHEAD: The final series of the regular season will be played in Missoula, as second-place Weber State will come to Grizzly Softball Field for a series starting on May 6.

BIG SKY STANDINGS: Sacramento State continues to lead the way at 12-3, followed closely by Weber State at 11-3. The two teams have clinched postseason births, and are trailed by Idaho State in third at 8-5 and 9-6 Montana in fourth, who are both looking to clinch this weekend.

Portland State (6-9) is in fifth, followed by North Dakota (4-9), Southern Utah (4-10) and Northern Colorado (3-12).

PROGRAM BESTS: Last weekend in Utah, Montana set a number of program records. They started with a win in the first game, extending their winning streak to six games. The 25 hits recorded in the same game were also a record, and they tied the record for home runs in a single game with three, which they did twice against Southern Utah.

The 38 total bases, 16 runners left on base and four doubles also broke or tied program marks, but they weren't all positive records.

Southern Utah scored 13 runs, all of them earned, on 18 hits, which both tied the most allowed in UM history.

"Records are meant to be broken, and some records can get up there pretty high. Last week, we played in a park that was at elevation so the ball carried and the wind was blowing out."

SCORING FIRST: In the 44 games Montana has played this year, they have beaten the opposition to the board 19 times, and are 12-7 in those games. When the other side scores first, the Grizzlies are just 8-17.

"Our motto is to get started, do it early and often and try to get control of the game. We always want to start quick, because more times than not you don't dig yourself out of the hole, even if we did this weekend."

CLOSE GAMES: The 14-13 win against Southern Utah was the seventh one-run win for Montana on the season. In games decided by one, the Grizzlies have put up an impressive 7-4 record.

OFFENSIVE OVERLOAD: In three games last weekend, Montana hit seven home runs and scored 30 runs. This year, the Grizzlies offense has been nearly unstoppable, and the Big Sky statistic leaderboard reflects that.

Montana tops the conference in batting average (.327), on-base percentage (.401), hits (409), RBIs (218) and total bases. The Griz also rank second in slugging percentage (.441) and runs scored (242).

"Our players are maturing and getting more patient at the plate, doing a really good job of seeing their pitch and hitting it. We've done a really good job at the plate, especially since conference play started."

"There are peaks and valley in a season, but I think this year they have done a really good job fighting through their slumps and the times when they haven't hit as well."

THEY WANT IT BACK TO BACK: One week removed from Tori Lettus winning the Player of the Week award for the Big Sky, Delene Colburn brought home the honors for Montana.

The Auburn, Wash. native hit .455 in the series against Southern Utah, blasting three home runs and seven RBIs which led to a massive 1.273 slugging percentage. She also scored seven times in her 11 at-bats, which led the team.

On the season, Colburn is fourth in the conference with 43 RBIs and home runs with seven. Her two home run game in the opener matches a program record, as do the nine total bases she recorded in the same game.

ANOTHER WEEKEND IN THE OFFICE FOR OLEA: If Colburn didn't win the Player of the Week honors, they may well have been given to Bethany Olea. She hit .500 with two home runs, her only homers of the season, and six RBIs against Southern Utah.

Olea has been on base in 36 consecutive games, and still leads the conference with a .515 on-base percentage and is third with a .418 batting average.

FRESMAN PHENOM: Sydney Stites continues to impress, as she hit a home run and had two RBIs in the series against Southern Utah. She still holds a tie for the league lead in home runs with 10 and also cracks the top-10 in average (.372), slugging percentage (.654), hits (58) and RBIs (32).

SAACKE JOINS THE FIVE-HIT CLUB: Madison Saacke did not bring home a single runner in the 14-13 win for Montana, but she did score twice herself. It wasn't the RBIs or runs that impressed though, it was the five hits in six at-bats that did that.

Saacke becomes just the second Grizzly to record five hits in a single game, joining Stites, who has done it twice.

GREAT FALLS (22-16): The Argos enter the match-up against Montana on a three-game losing streak. Montana is the final opponent for Great Falls before they begin their conference tournament.

"It would be nice to get all five pitchers some work, but we also want to win ball games. They are fine-tuning for their conference tournament and we're doing the same thing. You have to take everybody seriously in this sport, just because we're stepping into non-conference doesn't mean they don't have a chance to beat us."

NORTH DAKOTA (16-30/4-9 BSC): Where the Grizzlies lead the Big Sky in most offensive categories North Dakota comes in the opposite. UND ranks last in the Big Sky in seven of the major batting categories, including scoring just 138 runs with a .229 team batting average on the year.

The pitching staff is formidable, with a 4.49 team ERA, which is a full point below Montana's. Kaylin VanDomelen leads them, throwing a whopping 171.2 innings on the year with a 3.10 ERA and 138 strikeouts.

"We are seeing a good pitcher in VanDomelen who will test us. She is the second or third best pitcher in the conference. She has a drop curve and a change-up, and those are pitches that we are going to have to sit on because they are her go-to pitches."

COACH PINKERTON ON…

…PITCHING AND DEFENSIVE STRUGGLES ON THE ROAD.

"If you look at our scores, we're giving up a little over six runs a game and I don't think North Dakota is going to give up six runs a game. At some point, we have to figure out a way to stop their offense, but also keep scoring."

…THE OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE LAST WEEK.

"We scored 30 runs, when you are averaging 10 runs a game you should win all three. It didn't work out that way, but we'll take the series win. We were aggressive and built confidence, so hopefully that will carry on."

…BATTLING BACK AGAINST SOUTHERN UTAH.

"I liked the way we handled adversity when we fell behind against Southern Utah last weekend and we got a tough road series win. Obviously we want a sweep, but if we can win two out of three in a road series I'll be pleased."

…THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLAYING AT HOME AND ON THE ROAD.

"The concerning thing is, if you compare our home and road stats, there are some categories we need to clean up if we are going to become a conference champion or finish in the top couple teams."

…THE STATE OF THE PROGRAM.

"I'm really happy with where we are at. I know three, four, five years from now we won't be happy at 20-24, but two years into the program, the numbers that the kids are putting up, I don't think fans or even us as a coaching staff expected us to be this far along."