Big weekend series for Griz, Bengals

There will be plenty on the line for both teams this weekend when the Montana softball team hosts Idaho State in a three-game series at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.

The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday, also starting at 1 p.m.

The Grizzlies (28-20, 11-4 BSC) enter the weekend one win from clinching a spot at the Big Sky Conference tournament. More than that, Montana is playing to stay in position to challenge for a Big Sky championship next week when it plays a season-ending, three-game series at Weber State.

The Wildcats, at 11-3 in league, are in first place, half a game ahead of the Grizzlies. Weber State hosts Southern Utah this weekend in Ogden, with a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.

If Montana wins just one game this weekend, it will at least have a mathematical chance of winning the title next weekend on the road, but the more wins it can produce against Idaho State the better, since Weber State is 34-4 at home since the start of the 2015 season.

Having to win two of three at Weber State is a tall order. Needing to sweep brings with it long, unfavorable odds.

In the other dugout this weekend is an Idaho State (12-22, 5-9 BSC) team fighting for its own postseason spot.

With the top six teams making the Big Sky tournament, North Dakota, Sacramento State and Idaho State are all tied for fifth at 5-9, with two weekends of league games still to be played. Portland State, at 5-10, is also right in the mix.

The Bengals haven't done themselves any favors in league games, dropping four one-run decisions. If those games turned out differently, ISU would be looking up at the league leaders and in the hunt for a title instead of fighting it out near the bottom.

"They are a team that is better than their record indicates," said UM coach Jamie Pinkerton. "A break here and there, and they could be in a lot better position."

Idaho State, which had its midweek doubleheader against Boise State cancelled because of weather, has lost eight of its last nine games, but it's not because of ISU's offense.

The Bengals, who have the league's second-best batting average (.293) behind Weber State (.319), scored five or more runs in those eight losses.

Instead, it is the team's 4.67 ERA and Big Sky-high 73 errors that have been the difference.

"They are a team that can put up runs. They put the ball in play and have good speed. We're going to have to pitch and play defense and hit with runners in scoring position," said Pinkerton.

The biggest threat to create havoc for Montana's pitchers is senior centerfielder Kacie Burnett, who leads the Big Sky in batting at .447.

The Bengals don't have a big run producer like Montana's Delene Colburn, who leads the Big Sky in RBIs with 49. Instead they create runs by committee. Six players have a season RBI total of between 15 and 29.

Montana will likely face junior pitcher Ashlyn Ames in games one and three. Ames had a complete-game, 4-1 win at Southern Utah in the final game of that series two weekends ago, then lost 2-1 to Weber State in those teams' series opener last weekend.

Seeing Ames a second time, the Wildcats tagged her for eight runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings in the series finale.

Ames, who may face off against Montana freshman Michaela Hood twice this weekend -- both pitchers are from Las Vegas but different high schools -- has a 5-12 season record and 3.92 ERA.

Montana will counter with what is now the Big Sky's leading pitching staff in ERA at 3.23. Two of the games were against NAIA Carroll, but the Grizzlies have not allowed an opponent to score more than three runs the last five games.

Montana has held its opponent to five or fewer runs in each of its last 19 games, a big reason the Grizzlies have won 14 of their last 18.

Montana saw its seven-game losing streak come to an end on Sunday with a 2-1 loss at Portland State, but the Grizzlies got right back on the winning track with a pair of wins over Carroll on Wednesday at Grizzly Softball Field.

Montana used a seven-run fourth inning to win the opener 11-0. In game two, the Grizzlies held on for a 3-2 win.

After going 1 for 9 with no runs scored or batted in in three games at Portland State, Delene Colburn went 3 for 6 against the Saints, with four RBIs and three runs scored.

It was a return to form for one of the handful of players on the Big Sky MVP watch list and the type of production Montana will need from its cleanup hitter the rest of the way if good things are going to continue happening for the team.

While Pinkerton went with mostly his regular starting lineup against Carroll, he used the games as an opportunity to get some work for some pitchers who have been watching more than throwing as it's gotten deeper into the season.

Haley Young put in an inning of no-hit relief of starter Maddy Stensby in the opener. Sara Stephenson pitched game two and struck out a career-high 11 before she was relieved in the seventh by Hood.

"All hands are on deck," said Pinkerton. "The mistake some players make is they think they are not playing more because I don't think they are good enough, and that's not the case.

"This point of the season is kind of like playoff baseball. The innings get condensed, and you get down to who you perceive as your No. 1 and 2 instead of using your whole staff. We're using fewer pitchers, but I have full confidence in all of them and wouldn't hesitate to use any of them."

Game notes:

* There will be a fan appreciation tailgate at the field starting at noon on Saturday prior to the doubleheader.

* Saturday's opener will be broadcast statewide on SWX Montana, with Shaun Rainey and Ben Wineman calling the action. The game can also be enjoyed through the Watch SWX mobile app, which is available for download on Apple and Android devices.

SWX Montana is available to Charter cable subscribers in the state on channel 199. In Billings, SWX can be found on channel 503.

* All three weekend games will be streamed through Eversport, with Riley Corcoran and Cole Johnson on the broadcast. Links to video and live stats options can be found at gogriz.com.

* Sunday's game will be Senior Day for the Grizzlies' lone player in her final year, Bethany Olea. The third baseman was part of Pinkerton's original team, but she transferred into the program after playing one season of junior college ball at Arizona Western, which makes her the first out from that initial bunch.

Olea was second-team All-Big Sky as a sophomore, first team as a junior when she batted .408. This season she is batting .415, which ranks third in the league behind ISU's Burnett (.447) and Weber State's Takesha Saltern (.433).

She enters the weekend ranked first in the Big Sky in runs scored (39), second in hits (59) and third in doubles (13).

* Montana leads the Big Sky in ERA (3.23) and its staff has 249 strikeouts, 25 more than any other in the league. The Grizzlies also lead the Big Sky in fielding percentage (.970).

* Michaela Hood, who picked up her fourth save of the season in game two against Carroll on Wednesday, ranks second in the Big Sky in ERA at 2.20 behind North Dakota's Kaylin VanDomelen, who is going to be the runaway choice for Big Sky Pitcher of the Year when all-conference teams are revealed next month.

* She gets overshadowed by Hood, but Colleen Driscoll, who has become Pinkerton's No. 2 in his tightened rotation, ranks fifth in the Big Sky with an ERA of 3.06. She did not pitch on Wednesday in two games against Carroll but is coming off an eight-inning complete game in Montana's 2-1 win at Portland State last Saturday.

* In other Big Sky series this weekend, Southern Utah is playing at Weber State, Portland State is at North Dakota and Northern Colorado is at Sacramento State.

* The regular season will close for Montana next weekend at Weber State, with a doubleheader on Friday, a single game on Saturday.

The Big Sky tournament will be held at the home field of the regular-season champion the following week, with games opening on Thursday, May 11.

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Players Mentioned

Delene Colburn

Colleen Driscoll

Michaela Hood

Bethany Olea

Maddy Stensby

Sara Stephenson

Haley Young

University of Montana Athletics