Griz drop pair of games in California

Saturday, February 9

Davis, Calif.

Noon (MT)

Montana

1-2

UC Santa Barbara

2-1

UC Santa Barbara

Montana

2/9/2019 8:10:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team dropped a pair of games on Saturday, to UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis, as the season-opening NorCal Kickoff continued in California.

The Grizzlies (1-3) lost to the Gauchos in eight innings in their opener, 11-6, and turned around and fell to the unbeaten Aggies on their home field, 10-4.

After leading Montana to a split on Friday, while giving up just two runs, both unearned, against Santa Clara and Davis, the team's pitching staff got roughed up on Saturday.

The Grizzlies' four pitchers finished the day with an ERA of 8.40 while allowing Santa Barbara and Davis to hit .354.

Montana didn't have enough offensively to keep up, though the Grizzlies nearly pulled off a comeback in their opener.

Trailing the Gauchos 6-3 going into the bottom of the fifth, Montana scored three times to tie it.

Maddy Stensby had an RBI double that plated two to make it 6-5. She later scored on an infield error to tie the game.

With runners at second and third, the inning ended with a strikeout. The same thing ended the seventh, after Kylie Hayton drew a two-out walk and stole second, putting the winning run in scoring position.

Santa Barbara started the eighth with a runner on second and proceeded to score five runs on three hits, while being aided by a Montana error.

Given the same advantage in the bottom of the inning, Montana went down in order.

Michaela Hood got the start and lasted just 1 2/3 innings. She allowed five hits and four runs and didn't record a strikeout. Maddy Stensby took the loss in long relief.

Stensby, Cami Sellers and Kylie Becker all had two-hit games, while Hayton drove in two and Sellers and Maygen McGrath both scored twice.

Facing Davis in the second game, a team Montana held in check on Friday despite losing 2-1, the Aggies, who played as the visiting team, scored in six of seven innings.

Tristin Achenbach got the start and was pulled after 2 1/3 innings after giving up six runs and three walks. Colleen Driscoll pitched the final 4 2/3.

Trailing 7-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, Montana finally broke through, scoring four times on four hits.

The Grizzlies loaded the bases with nobody out, and Reilly Williams got her team on the scoreboard when she was hit by a pitch.

With the bases still loaded, Montana came through with three straight RBI singles, from Lexi Knauss, Sellers and McGrath.

But little came before the fifth and little after. Montana had four of its five hits for the game in the fifth inning.

Montana will face Cal State Bakersfield (1-1) at 10:30 a.m. (MT) on Sunday at Sacramento State.

The Roadrunners defeated UC Santa Barbara 4-3 and lost to the Hornets 8-0 on Friday. Their lone scheduled game on Saturday, at UC Davis, after the Montana-UC Davis game, was rained out.