Griz win two games on Saturday in Utah

Saturday, March 4

St. George, Utah

1:30 PM

Montana

6-11

UNLV

12-6

UNLV

Montana

3/4/2017 9:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team won a pair of games on Saturday at St. George, Utah, to improve to 2-2 at the Red Desert Classic.

The Grizzlies (7-11) knocked off UNLV for the second time in a week, winning 6-2 to snap a three-game losing streak, then rallied back from a 6-2 deficit to defeat Utah Valley 9-6.

"It was a good day for us. We got a little bit of our confidence back, which should help us down the road," said coach Jamie Pinkerton.

Montana defeated UNLV for the second time in seven days with another strong pitching performance. On Sunday in Hawaii it was Michaela Hood. On Saturday in Utah it was Maddy Stensby.

The sophomore lefthander scattered seven hits over 5 and 1/3 innings and allowed just one earned run against a team that is 12-6. "She had a very good outing," said Pinkerton.

Her teammates gave Stensby (2-2) a cushion to work with. Ashlyn Lyons drove in two with a single to left in the bottom of the first, and Bethany Olea made it 3-0 in the third when she scored on a fielder's choice.

Five times this season Montana has lost games in which it has led by three or more runs. It's still just five.

"It was interesting to see how the team reacted, because having a three-run lead has been a weak spot for us," said Pinkerton.

UNLV scored once in the fifth to pull within 3-1 and put runners at second and third with one out in the sixth. Pinkerton went to Colleen Driscoll in relief, and she got out of the inning by forcing a pair of ground outs, one of which drove in a runner from third.

Holding a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth, Montana scored three insurance runs. After Lyons flew out, the next three batters reached, with a pair of walks sandwiching Anne Mari Petrino's single through the left side.

MaKenna McGill walked with the bases loaded to make it 4-2, and Bethany Olea, who went 3 for 4, made it 6-2 with a two-run single to center.

Driscoll pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to finish off her first career save.

"It was really good to bounce back against a team that's 12-6 and was unbeaten at the tournament until we beat them," said Pinkerton. "It was a good outing for us. I was really happy how we played against a team that is doing pretty well."

Utah Valley, now 0-8, isn't doing very well, but the Wolverines didn't look like a winless team against Montana.

Utah Valley scored in the first and second innings off Montana starter Michaela Hood and scored three off her in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.

"Michaela threw well today, but she wasn't sharp," said Pinkerton. "Things got away from her in the fifth, but she did enough to keep us in the ball game."

Sara Stephenson gave up another run in relief in the sixth to put the Grizzlies in a 6-2 hole going into the top of the seventh.

Montana responded with its biggest scoring inning of the season.

Gabby Martinez led off the inning with a single, and two batters later Sydney Stites hit her fourth home run of the season to make it 6-4.

Olea and Delene Colburn drew walks, and Lyons made it 6-5 with a double down the left field line. With runners at second and third, a wild pitch brought in Colburn and Kylie Hayton, who was pinch running for Lyons, to give Montana its first lead since the first inning.

Madison Saacke later had a pinch-hit two-run home run to make it 9-6.

Stephenson (2-3) kept it interesting in the bottom of the seventh, with a wild pitch and walk, but she got out of trouble with an game-ending double play to pick up the win.

"We got on a roll in the seventh inning and were able to come from behind against a team that was hungry for its first win," said Pinkerton. "We started frenzy hitting, which we're capable of doing, and we were able to build a little bit of a cushion."

Eight players had hits for Montana, seven scored runs. "We hit up and down the lineup. It was pretty balanced," said Pinkerton.

Montana will close out the tournament with a game against Utah State at 10 a.m. on Sunday.