Griz split Saturday games

Saturday, February 23

San Jose, Calif.

12:30 PM (MT)

Montana

3-10

CSU Bakersfield

5-6

Montana

CSU Bakersfield

2/23/2019 8:04:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team split a pair of games on Saturday as the Silicon Valley Classic continued in California.

The Grizzlies defeated CSU Bakersfield 7-3 behind a strong outing from Colleen Driscoll and lost 4-2 to San Jose State after allowing four runs in the bottom of the sixth as the Spartans rallied for the victory.

In Montana's opener on Saturday, Driscoll allowed just a pair of singles through the first five innings. The game would remain scoreless until Cami Sellers tripled to center with two outs to give Montana a 2-0 lead.

The Roadrunners would get to Driscoll for a run in the sixth, with a triple followed by a run-scoring single, but the Grizzlies would answer right back, scoring five in the top of the seventh on five hits.

Reilly Williams made it 4-1 with a bases-loaded single up the middle. Sellers added an RBI single to left, Jessica McAlister doubled down the left-field line to score another, and Maddy Stensby made it 7-1 with an RBI single to center.

Bakersfield would add two runs in the bottom of the seventh off Driscoll, who threw her first complete game of the season while improving to 2-2.

"She had a great outing. She had a lot of command of her pitches," said coach Melanie Meuchel. "It was typical Colleen. Composed, determined. She really set the tone for us defensively, and we made great plays behind her."

Montana scored its seven runs, a season high, on nine hits. Seven players had hits, four players drove in runs, with Sellers going 3 for 4 with three RBIs. And for the first time this season Montana didn't have a strikeout.

"We attacked the ball really through the whole lineup and put a lot of pressure on. We controlled the offense pretty well," said Meuchel.

Montana built a 2-0 lead against San Jose State in the Grizzlies' second game, scoring twice in the top of the second.

Katie Pippel singled to right-center to score Maygen McGrath, who led off the inning with a single to left. Kylie Becker made it 2-0 with an RBI single through the right side.

Montana left two on in the second, the bases loaded in the third and two more in the fifth. Those missed opportunities to add to their lead would come back to cost the Grizzlies.

San Jose State managed just three hits off starter Tristin Achenbach through the first five innings but scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

"They're a good swinging team, and Tristin really kept them off-balance," said Meuchel. "If they tagged her for something hard, it mostly landed in foul territory.

"They strung some together in the sixth. Nothing real big. We were close to getting a glove on some of them and making a play to get out of it, but they fell in for a hit. That's sometimes how the game plays."

Jessica McAlister went 2 for 2 to up her team-leading batting average to .419 and extend her hitting streak to five games. She has reached base in 13 consecutive games.

Montana will face a 10-win Ball State team on Sunday at 10 a.m. (MT). The Cardinals have wins at the Silicon Valley Classic over Northern Colorado, CSU Bakersfield and Utah State.