Friday, March 30
Grand Forks, N.D.
4PM (MT)
Montana
at
North Dakota
Second consecutive road series upcoming
3/29/2018 9:36:00 AM | Softball
The Montana softball team, coming off a 3-0 start to its Big Sky Conference schedule, will play its second consecutive road series this week when it travels to Grand Forks for a three-game set against North Dakota.
Because of unplayable field conditions, the games will be played at the Alerus Center. They will be Montana's first indoor games since the Grizzlies opened the 2017 season at the UNI Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Montana and North Dakota will play a Friday doubleheader, with game times scheduled for 4 and 6 p.m. (MT). The series will conclude with a single game at 1 p.m. (MT) on Saturday.
At a glance (Montana): The Grizzlies (15-17, 3-0 BSC) extended their winning streak to eight games last weekend, matching the program record, with a series sweep at Idaho State to open their Big Sky schedule. Montana allowed just three runs and 13 hits in the three games.
At a glance (North Dakota): The Fighting Hawks (16-18, 2-1 BSC), who have the second-most wins in the Big Sky, are one of three teams who went 2-1 last weekend to open league. North Dakota dropped its opener at Portland State 7-2, then came back to post 9-7 and 11-9 wins, the latter after trailing 9-1.
History: Montana is 8-1 against North Dakota, with a home series sweep in 2015, a road sweep in 2016. The Grizzlies won two of three in the teams' three-game set at Missoula last spring.
Montana notes:
* Montana's eight straight victories match the longest winning streak in program history, set late in the 2016 season, three of which came in a road sweep at North Dakota.
* Montana's pitching staff numbers during the streak: 8-0 record, 0.88 ERA, two shutouts, 35 hits allowed in 56 innings, 10 runs allowed, 53 strikeouts against just 12 walks and an opponent batting average of .181.
* Delene Colburn is hitting .500 during the eight-game winning streak, with a .929 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage, with 10 runs scored and 10 RBIs, both team highs. Ashlyn Lyons is batting .429.
* Montana's series sweep at Idaho State last weekend was its first on the road in league since going 3-0 at North Dakota late in the 2016 season.
* Michaela Hood threw two complete games at Pocatello, the first a 1-0 shutout, the second a 4-2 win, the two runs allowed coming in the bottom of the seventh. She struck out 17 and had an ERA of 1.00 to earn Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time this season, the third time in her career.
* Maddy Stensby started the second game of the series, a 6-1 Montana win. The one run she allowed was unearned, dropping her season ERA from 4.02 to 3.40.
* Montana's team ERA went from 3.34 before the series to 3.07.
* Idaho State batted .183 in the three-game series and scored just three runs while coming up with 13 hits and striking out 23 times. The Bengals did not score an earned run through the first 20-plus innings against the Grizzlies. Their two earned runs came in the final inning of the series.
* Montana batted just .183 at Idaho State, with four extra-base hits, all doubles. Seven of the 11 runs the Grizzlies scored were unearned, gifted through six ISU errors. Montana went 5 for 23 with runners in scoring position.
* Montana had just a single error at Idaho State, a dropped foul ball, and has committed only two on its eight-game winning streak to up its Big Sky-leading fielding percentage to .974.
* Montana ranks second in the Big Sky in team ERA (3.07) and fifth in team batting average (.249).
* Colleen Driscoll (2.72), Hood (2.84), Stensby (3.40) and Tristin Achenbach (3.73) all rank in the top 10 in the Big Sky in ERA.
* Colburn ranks fifth in the Big Sky in batting average (.379). She is tied for second in hits (36) and ranks third in home runs (7) and RBIs (26). ... MaKenna McGill ranks fourth in runs scored (25), Lyons is fifth in doubles (8).
* Montana's RPI of 145 ranks second in the Big Sky behind Northern Colorado's 100. Next week's opponent, Weber State, is one behind Montana at 146. North Dakota's RPI is 202.
* Of the ranked opponents the Grizzlies have faced this season, Oregon has an RPI of 2, Oklahoma of 9, Arizona of 12.
* Colburn and Lyons both had multiple-hit games in the series at Idaho State. They are tied for the team lead with 10 each this season. MaKenna McGill is close behind with nine. ... Colburn holds the team lead with seven games with multiple RBIs. Lyons has six.
* Lyons takes a six-game hitting streak into this week's series at North Dakota, the longest by a Montana player this season. She is batting .500 in those six games. Her career best is a 14-game hitting streak during her sophomore season.
* Madison Saacke has reached base in seven consecutive games, the team's longest active streak.
* Since taking the loss against now 25-5 Oregon on March 11, Hood has won four consecutive starts, all complete games, to improve to 6-6. She has allowed four runs and 18 hits in those four starts, striking out 31, to drop her ERA from 3.95 after the loss to the Ducks to 2.84.
The state of Montana:
That the Grizzlies are sitting alone atop the Big Sky standings after the first weekend of league games is no real surprise. After all, Montana was picked first in the preseason coaches' poll and was facing four-win Idaho State last weekend.
Nor was it a surprise that Montana's pitching carried the day on both Saturday and Sunday, allowing just two earned runs in 21 innings.
What was surprising was that Montana went 3-0 while batting just .173 and using four extra-base hits to score 11 runs, seven of them unearned against a pitching staff that entered the series with an ERA of 7.83. Despite going 0-3, the Bengals saw their ERA drop to 6.98 by weekend's end.
Montana faced ISU senior Ashlyn Ames in both the opener and final game of the series, the same pitcher who won an eight-inning decision in Missoula last spring.
"Ashlyn Ames is a senior and has year in and year out proved that she can pitch and hold her own and win games and give her team a chance, so I knew it was going to be a competitive matchup," said coach Melanie Meuchel.
"She did a good job mixing some things on us that kept us at bay. We never really broke out with any high-hit games, but we found ways to get runners on and produce enough run support to help us in those games."
Montana scored the only run it would need in the opening game in the first inning, as Hood out-dueled Ames for seven innings.
In the pitchers' second matchup, in the third game of the series, Hood was staked to a 3-0 lead after the top of the first, thanks to three unearned runs. She would go on to strike out a season-high 10 before allowing a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Both games ended with either the tying or go-ahead run at the plate when Hood got the final out. On this particular weekend, the pitching carried the hitting to three wins.
"We take a lot of pride in every aspect of our game, but there are going to be times our pitching is going to have to step up and help our hitters if they're not producing as much as everyone wants," said Meuchel.
"Then there are going to be times our hitters have to step up and help our pitching because maybe it's not as on as it should be.
"The thing I like is our confidence and belief when our games are close. We have trust in our ability to do something at the plate or defensively to win the game."
Montana scored in its top half of the first inning in both of Hood's starts and was the first team to score in all three games. In the Grizzlies' three-game sweep of Utah Valley the weekend before, Montana had to rally in each of the three games after falling behind.
"Any game you're in, but especially when you're on the road, if you can attack early and establish who you are, you can settle in and play with a lot more comfort," said Meuchel.
"I'm really proud of the way the players showed up. I'm proud of the way they approached the weekend, from their demeanor on the bus over to the field to keeping it rolling through the game.
"Even in our 1-0 game, there was never a panic. They trust each other a lot right now. When you have that, even in the most challenging times, you find ways to continue to fight for each other."
Up next is a surging North Dakota team that carried the momentum of last season's appearance at the Big Sky tournament into a successful pre-league performance this season.
The Fighting Hawks went 4-1 at both Belmont's and Hampton's tournaments and have gotten a pair of no-hitters from fifth-year senior Kaylin VanDomelen, last year's Big Sky Pitcher of the Year and two-time first-team all-league selection.
"This should be another round with some great pitching," said Meuchel. "VanDomelen is a great competitor on the mound, and our team knows that and respects that. They are excited to face her and her team. It should be a fun series."
Hood defeated VanDomelen twice last season in their head-to-head matchups in the first and third games in the teams' series in Missoula, with the Grizzlies winning those games 6-2 and 2-0.
But this year is different, as evidenced by North Dakota's 2-1 result last weekend in its series at Portland State. It's not all about the star pitcher any longer. There are more pieces in place.
VanDomelen collected the save in the Fighting Hawks' 9-7 victory in the second game. In the final game of the series VanDomelen got the start but didn't make it out of the first inning as North Dakota fell behind 9-1 after four innings.
But UND staged a remarkable rally in chilly, wet conditions. The Fighting Hawks scored three in the fifth, five in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
With the Vikings threatening in the bottom half of the seventh, VanDomelen returned to shut it down and collect the save in a game that looked like was going to be her second loss of the weekend.
"They are a team that every year continues to grow into a more complete team. In the past, if she threw well, they had a chance," said Meuchel. "Now they have some players who are making them more complete, and that makes them more competitive than if they only have pitching.
"I think it will be a good matchup on the pitching side. It will be fun to see what offenses can keep passing the bat and handing it down to supply the runs."
Around the Big Sky Conference:
Montana's road sweep at Idaho State was the only 3-0 series in the Big Sky as the league schedule got underway last weekend.
Northern Colorado won two of three at home against Sacramento State, missing out on the sweep when the Bears couldn't hold an 11-7 lead in the top of the seventh in the final game of the series.
North Dakota used its own late-game rally to win the rubber game at Portland State, and Weber State had its own up-and-down series at Southern Utah, winning games 12-1 and 11-0, and giving up 13 runs in a loss.
"Anytime you get into conference play, it's fun to watch the competition step up another level," said Meuchel. "That's what we're seeing. You might have a great pitching game here and there, then you're going to have phenomenal offensive games here and there.
"You'd better be ready to play on the day of competition. I don't think there is anybody in this conference you can look past. It's not in your pocket until the last pitch of the game that the game's over."
Weekend series:
Montana at North Dakota (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- The Grizzlies are 8-1 against the Fighting Hawks all-time, 3-0 in Grand Forks.
Southern Utah at Northern Colorado (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- The surging Bears, picked last in the preseason poll, host the 4-23 Thunderbirds.
Sacramento State at Weber State (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- The teams picked second (WSU) and third (SAC) behind Montana in the preseason poll. A Hornets staff that gave up 33 runs last weekend in Greeley faces a team that scored 30 at Southern Utah.
Idaho State at Portland State (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- Better weather is forecasted for Portland after last weekend's series against North Dakota that was played in constant rain.
Because of unplayable field conditions, the games will be played at the Alerus Center. They will be Montana's first indoor games since the Grizzlies opened the 2017 season at the UNI Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Montana and North Dakota will play a Friday doubleheader, with game times scheduled for 4 and 6 p.m. (MT). The series will conclude with a single game at 1 p.m. (MT) on Saturday.
At a glance (Montana): The Grizzlies (15-17, 3-0 BSC) extended their winning streak to eight games last weekend, matching the program record, with a series sweep at Idaho State to open their Big Sky schedule. Montana allowed just three runs and 13 hits in the three games.
At a glance (North Dakota): The Fighting Hawks (16-18, 2-1 BSC), who have the second-most wins in the Big Sky, are one of three teams who went 2-1 last weekend to open league. North Dakota dropped its opener at Portland State 7-2, then came back to post 9-7 and 11-9 wins, the latter after trailing 9-1.
History: Montana is 8-1 against North Dakota, with a home series sweep in 2015, a road sweep in 2016. The Grizzlies won two of three in the teams' three-game set at Missoula last spring.
Montana notes:
* Montana's eight straight victories match the longest winning streak in program history, set late in the 2016 season, three of which came in a road sweep at North Dakota.
* Montana's pitching staff numbers during the streak: 8-0 record, 0.88 ERA, two shutouts, 35 hits allowed in 56 innings, 10 runs allowed, 53 strikeouts against just 12 walks and an opponent batting average of .181.
* Delene Colburn is hitting .500 during the eight-game winning streak, with a .929 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage, with 10 runs scored and 10 RBIs, both team highs. Ashlyn Lyons is batting .429.
* Montana's series sweep at Idaho State last weekend was its first on the road in league since going 3-0 at North Dakota late in the 2016 season.
* Michaela Hood threw two complete games at Pocatello, the first a 1-0 shutout, the second a 4-2 win, the two runs allowed coming in the bottom of the seventh. She struck out 17 and had an ERA of 1.00 to earn Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time this season, the third time in her career.
* Maddy Stensby started the second game of the series, a 6-1 Montana win. The one run she allowed was unearned, dropping her season ERA from 4.02 to 3.40.
* Montana's team ERA went from 3.34 before the series to 3.07.
* Idaho State batted .183 in the three-game series and scored just three runs while coming up with 13 hits and striking out 23 times. The Bengals did not score an earned run through the first 20-plus innings against the Grizzlies. Their two earned runs came in the final inning of the series.
* Montana batted just .183 at Idaho State, with four extra-base hits, all doubles. Seven of the 11 runs the Grizzlies scored were unearned, gifted through six ISU errors. Montana went 5 for 23 with runners in scoring position.
* Montana had just a single error at Idaho State, a dropped foul ball, and has committed only two on its eight-game winning streak to up its Big Sky-leading fielding percentage to .974.
* Montana ranks second in the Big Sky in team ERA (3.07) and fifth in team batting average (.249).
* Colleen Driscoll (2.72), Hood (2.84), Stensby (3.40) and Tristin Achenbach (3.73) all rank in the top 10 in the Big Sky in ERA.
* Colburn ranks fifth in the Big Sky in batting average (.379). She is tied for second in hits (36) and ranks third in home runs (7) and RBIs (26). ... MaKenna McGill ranks fourth in runs scored (25), Lyons is fifth in doubles (8).
* Montana's RPI of 145 ranks second in the Big Sky behind Northern Colorado's 100. Next week's opponent, Weber State, is one behind Montana at 146. North Dakota's RPI is 202.
* Of the ranked opponents the Grizzlies have faced this season, Oregon has an RPI of 2, Oklahoma of 9, Arizona of 12.
* Colburn and Lyons both had multiple-hit games in the series at Idaho State. They are tied for the team lead with 10 each this season. MaKenna McGill is close behind with nine. ... Colburn holds the team lead with seven games with multiple RBIs. Lyons has six.
* Lyons takes a six-game hitting streak into this week's series at North Dakota, the longest by a Montana player this season. She is batting .500 in those six games. Her career best is a 14-game hitting streak during her sophomore season.
* Madison Saacke has reached base in seven consecutive games, the team's longest active streak.
* Since taking the loss against now 25-5 Oregon on March 11, Hood has won four consecutive starts, all complete games, to improve to 6-6. She has allowed four runs and 18 hits in those four starts, striking out 31, to drop her ERA from 3.95 after the loss to the Ducks to 2.84.
The state of Montana:
That the Grizzlies are sitting alone atop the Big Sky standings after the first weekend of league games is no real surprise. After all, Montana was picked first in the preseason coaches' poll and was facing four-win Idaho State last weekend.
Nor was it a surprise that Montana's pitching carried the day on both Saturday and Sunday, allowing just two earned runs in 21 innings.
What was surprising was that Montana went 3-0 while batting just .173 and using four extra-base hits to score 11 runs, seven of them unearned against a pitching staff that entered the series with an ERA of 7.83. Despite going 0-3, the Bengals saw their ERA drop to 6.98 by weekend's end.
Montana faced ISU senior Ashlyn Ames in both the opener and final game of the series, the same pitcher who won an eight-inning decision in Missoula last spring.
"Ashlyn Ames is a senior and has year in and year out proved that she can pitch and hold her own and win games and give her team a chance, so I knew it was going to be a competitive matchup," said coach Melanie Meuchel.
"She did a good job mixing some things on us that kept us at bay. We never really broke out with any high-hit games, but we found ways to get runners on and produce enough run support to help us in those games."
Montana scored the only run it would need in the opening game in the first inning, as Hood out-dueled Ames for seven innings.
In the pitchers' second matchup, in the third game of the series, Hood was staked to a 3-0 lead after the top of the first, thanks to three unearned runs. She would go on to strike out a season-high 10 before allowing a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Both games ended with either the tying or go-ahead run at the plate when Hood got the final out. On this particular weekend, the pitching carried the hitting to three wins.
"We take a lot of pride in every aspect of our game, but there are going to be times our pitching is going to have to step up and help our hitters if they're not producing as much as everyone wants," said Meuchel.
"Then there are going to be times our hitters have to step up and help our pitching because maybe it's not as on as it should be.
"The thing I like is our confidence and belief when our games are close. We have trust in our ability to do something at the plate or defensively to win the game."
Montana scored in its top half of the first inning in both of Hood's starts and was the first team to score in all three games. In the Grizzlies' three-game sweep of Utah Valley the weekend before, Montana had to rally in each of the three games after falling behind.
"Any game you're in, but especially when you're on the road, if you can attack early and establish who you are, you can settle in and play with a lot more comfort," said Meuchel.
"I'm really proud of the way the players showed up. I'm proud of the way they approached the weekend, from their demeanor on the bus over to the field to keeping it rolling through the game.
"Even in our 1-0 game, there was never a panic. They trust each other a lot right now. When you have that, even in the most challenging times, you find ways to continue to fight for each other."
Up next is a surging North Dakota team that carried the momentum of last season's appearance at the Big Sky tournament into a successful pre-league performance this season.
The Fighting Hawks went 4-1 at both Belmont's and Hampton's tournaments and have gotten a pair of no-hitters from fifth-year senior Kaylin VanDomelen, last year's Big Sky Pitcher of the Year and two-time first-team all-league selection.
"This should be another round with some great pitching," said Meuchel. "VanDomelen is a great competitor on the mound, and our team knows that and respects that. They are excited to face her and her team. It should be a fun series."
Hood defeated VanDomelen twice last season in their head-to-head matchups in the first and third games in the teams' series in Missoula, with the Grizzlies winning those games 6-2 and 2-0.
But this year is different, as evidenced by North Dakota's 2-1 result last weekend in its series at Portland State. It's not all about the star pitcher any longer. There are more pieces in place.
VanDomelen collected the save in the Fighting Hawks' 9-7 victory in the second game. In the final game of the series VanDomelen got the start but didn't make it out of the first inning as North Dakota fell behind 9-1 after four innings.
But UND staged a remarkable rally in chilly, wet conditions. The Fighting Hawks scored three in the fifth, five in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
With the Vikings threatening in the bottom half of the seventh, VanDomelen returned to shut it down and collect the save in a game that looked like was going to be her second loss of the weekend.
"They are a team that every year continues to grow into a more complete team. In the past, if she threw well, they had a chance," said Meuchel. "Now they have some players who are making them more complete, and that makes them more competitive than if they only have pitching.
"I think it will be a good matchup on the pitching side. It will be fun to see what offenses can keep passing the bat and handing it down to supply the runs."
Around the Big Sky Conference:
Montana's road sweep at Idaho State was the only 3-0 series in the Big Sky as the league schedule got underway last weekend.
Northern Colorado won two of three at home against Sacramento State, missing out on the sweep when the Bears couldn't hold an 11-7 lead in the top of the seventh in the final game of the series.
North Dakota used its own late-game rally to win the rubber game at Portland State, and Weber State had its own up-and-down series at Southern Utah, winning games 12-1 and 11-0, and giving up 13 runs in a loss.
"Anytime you get into conference play, it's fun to watch the competition step up another level," said Meuchel. "That's what we're seeing. You might have a great pitching game here and there, then you're going to have phenomenal offensive games here and there.
"You'd better be ready to play on the day of competition. I don't think there is anybody in this conference you can look past. It's not in your pocket until the last pitch of the game that the game's over."
Weekend series:
Montana at North Dakota (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- The Grizzlies are 8-1 against the Fighting Hawks all-time, 3-0 in Grand Forks.
Southern Utah at Northern Colorado (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- The surging Bears, picked last in the preseason poll, host the 4-23 Thunderbirds.
Sacramento State at Weber State (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- The teams picked second (WSU) and third (SAC) behind Montana in the preseason poll. A Hornets staff that gave up 33 runs last weekend in Greeley faces a team that scored 30 at Southern Utah.
Idaho State at Portland State (Friday-Friday-Saturday) -- Better weather is forecasted for Portland after last weekend's series against North Dakota that was played in constant rain.
Players Mentioned
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P
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