Photo by: Derek Johnson
Fall ball ... with a hint of spring
10/3/2020 3:16:00 PM | Softball
It looked and smelled like autumn but the Montana softball team provided a glimpse of spring when the Grizzlies played their first intra-squad scrimmage of the fall on Saturday at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.
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Divided into three teams of five and mixed and matched for two hours using an individualized scoring system, Montana played in front of a handful of live fans and nearly two dozen cardboard alumni, who were anchored throughout the stands to watch their successors.
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It was Montana's first outing since the spring season was cancelled following a trip to Phoenix in early March.
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"To put uniforms back on again, to have umpires, to have our 22 alumni sitting in the stands, we tried to make it feel as real as possible," said coach Melanie Meuchel.
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"We're still working to develop this team, but there were some plays today, some hits today, some pitches today that felt like you'd see in the spring."
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If Montana, collectively, won the day, it was senior pitcher Tristin Achenbach and junior outfielder Brooklyn Weisgram who stood out individually.
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Achenbach collected a team-high 65 points, Weisgram, who bombed a grand slam to left off freshman pitcher Allie Brock, finished with 62.
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Junior shortstop Maygen McGrath, who had a solo home run, totaled 46 points. Freshman catcher Riley Stockton, who had a pair of doubles, one to left-center, one to right-center, had 32 points.
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"It was fun to have this group put their skills together, even with three teams of five," added Meuchel. "I know when we all get in one dugout, we're going to be a lot of fun, whether that's skills-wise or execution or whether it's personalities and the want to compete in this uniform for this program."
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Junior third baseman Kylie Becker had a pair of run-scoring singles, and the Grizzlies came up with a number of web-gem defensive plays.
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Sophomore outfielder Julie Phelps made a sliding catch near the line in left and later a diving grab in right.
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Freshman outfielder Elise Ontiveros threw out a runner trying to advance from first to third, and sophomore Ashley Ward, typically hitting or pitching but on this day playing second base, made a sweet play to her left on a ground ball that was heading into right field.
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"There are areas where we need to improve, but I was excited about playing the Griz Softball way, the approach, the effort, the grit, the determination and the execution."
Â
Divided into three teams of five and mixed and matched for two hours using an individualized scoring system, Montana played in front of a handful of live fans and nearly two dozen cardboard alumni, who were anchored throughout the stands to watch their successors.
Â
It was Montana's first outing since the spring season was cancelled following a trip to Phoenix in early March.
Â
"To put uniforms back on again, to have umpires, to have our 22 alumni sitting in the stands, we tried to make it feel as real as possible," said coach Melanie Meuchel.
Â
"We're still working to develop this team, but there were some plays today, some hits today, some pitches today that felt like you'd see in the spring."
Â
If Montana, collectively, won the day, it was senior pitcher Tristin Achenbach and junior outfielder Brooklyn Weisgram who stood out individually.
Â
Achenbach collected a team-high 65 points, Weisgram, who bombed a grand slam to left off freshman pitcher Allie Brock, finished with 62.
Â
Junior shortstop Maygen McGrath, who had a solo home run, totaled 46 points. Freshman catcher Riley Stockton, who had a pair of doubles, one to left-center, one to right-center, had 32 points.
Â
"It was fun to have this group put their skills together, even with three teams of five," added Meuchel. "I know when we all get in one dugout, we're going to be a lot of fun, whether that's skills-wise or execution or whether it's personalities and the want to compete in this uniform for this program."
Â
Junior third baseman Kylie Becker had a pair of run-scoring singles, and the Grizzlies came up with a number of web-gem defensive plays.
Â
Sophomore outfielder Julie Phelps made a sliding catch near the line in left and later a diving grab in right.
Â
Freshman outfielder Elise Ontiveros threw out a runner trying to advance from first to third, and sophomore Ashley Ward, typically hitting or pitching but on this day playing second base, made a sweet play to her left on a ground ball that was heading into right field.
Â
"There are areas where we need to improve, but I was excited about playing the Griz Softball way, the approach, the effort, the grit, the determination and the execution."
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
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