Bats stay quiet, Griz lose 4-0

Saturday, March 31

Grand Forks, N.D.

1PM (MT)

Montana

15-20, 3-3

North Dakota

19-18, 5-1

Montana

North Dakota

Russ Hons photos

Photo by: Russell Hons

3/31/2018 3:58:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team dropped the final game of its three-game series at North Dakota on Saturday, falling 4-0 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

The Grizzlies (15-20, 3-3 BSC), who lost both ends of a doubleheader on Friday by scores of 3-0 and 3-1, were swept in the series by the now first-place Fighting Hawks (19-18, 5-1 BSC).

It marks the first time Montana was swept by a Big Sky Conference opponent since going winless at Idaho State nearly two years ago.

Montana was outscored in the series 10-1 and was limited to 12 hits, all singles, only eight of which made it out of the infield.

The Grizzlies have not had an extra-base hit in more than 23 innings and are batting .167 through six league games, with just four earned runs scored.

"We have to go back to work and focus on what we're good at and stay within what we know how to do and what we're good at and really take pride in that," said coach Melanie Meuchel.

After being the story of the day on Friday, with a dominating pitching performance in the opener and the game-winning hit in game two, North Dakota senior Kaylin VanDomelen was at it again on Saturday.

She threw her second shutout in less than 24 hours and plated the game-winning run in the fourth with an RBI single.

Last year's Big Sky Pitcher of the Year went 2-0 in the series with two shutouts. She allowed eight hits in 14 innings while striking out 19.

"She's a really good pitcher and I would not take a single thing away from her, but I think we made her even better," said Meuchel. "We chose to chase stuff and let her expand the zone a little bit."

Maddy Stensby had a quality start in Friday's second game, taking a shutout into the bottom of the sixth before giving up three runs on three hits.

Colleen Driscoll got the start in Saturday's finale and matched VanDomelen early, allowing just one hit through the first three innings.

But a two-out walk in the fourth moved a base runner to second, and VanDomelen came through with an RBI single to give North Dakota the only run it would need to win its fifth straight game.

Tristin Achenbach relieved Driscoll for the fifth and gave up a single and a walk. Angel Love followed with a three-run home run for the game's only other scoring.

Montana's pitching staff had a respectable 3.89 ERA in the three-game series, walking just five while striking out 17, but the offense wasn't able to do its part.

"It's tough to win when you don't score a run," said Meuchel. "We tell our pitchers to keep us close, keep us within a game and give us a chance on the mound. For the most part they did that."

Montana loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. Madison Saacke reached on an error, Anne Mari Petrino followed with an infield single, and Alex Wardlow also reached on an error.

But VanDomelen wasn't fazed. She struck out the next two batters to end the threat. She finished off the complete game on just 75 pitches, 59 of which were strikes.

Now tied for third in the Big Sky after opening the weekend alone in first, Montana will return home for a series against Weber State (15-16, 3-3 BSC), which dropped two of three in Ogden over the weekend to Sacramento State.

The two preseason favorites in the Big Sky will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 2:30 p.m. and a single game on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. at Grizzly Softball Field.