Griz drop two on Friday

Friday, February 14

Las Vegas, Nev.

1:30 PM (MT)

Montana

4-3

Utah Valley

5-1

Montana

Utah Valley

Photo by: © Derek Johnson 2019

2/14/2020 9:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team dropped a pair of high-drama games on Friday as the Marucci Desert Classic continued in Las Vegas.

The Grizzlies (4-4) lost a 4-3 decision to Utah Valley in eight innings in their opener.

After Montana took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth, the Wolverines walked it off with two runs on four hits in the bottom half of the inning.

In the night game, Michaela Hood limited UNLV to two hits, but one was a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth that gave the Rebels all they would need to post a 2-0 win.

Montana would leave eight on base, including the bases loaded in the top of the seventh.

The Grizzlies had just one hit through four innings against Utah Valley but scored two in the top of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead, their first of the tournament.

Kylie Becker singled to right to drive in one run, Cami Sellers had a sacrifice to center that scored Becker.

In between, freshman Ashley Ward had her first collegiate hit, a single up the middle, that advanced Becker from first to third.

Utah Valley evened the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly and had the bases loaded with two outs when Michaela Hood entered in relief of starter Tristin Achenbach.

Hood would end the threat with a strikeout.

With Becker placed on second to open the eighth, Sellers, who had two of the Grizzlies' four hits, singled through the left side to give Montana its second lead of the day, 3-2.

Hood got the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the eighth on a line out to third, but the next four batters all singled to give the Wolverines the win.

Hood started against UNLV and was dominant early on, facing just 10 batters through the first three innings, with nine outs and a walk.

But she walked the leadoff batter in the fourth and freshman Alyssa Trejo followed with a home run for what would be the game's only runs.

Hood allowed a one-out double into the gap in right-center in the bottom of the sixth for the Rebels' only other hit. She would finish with seven strikeouts in a return to her hometown.

With one out in the top of the seventh, McKenna Tjaden drove a single up the middle, her second hit of the game, and freshman Kendall Curtis followed with her first hit as a Grizzly, a single to third.

With the tying run on base, UNLV went to Jenny Bressler in relief, the pitcher who no-hit Montana on Thursday night.

She got a fly out to center for the second out, then walked Becker to load the bases before ending the game with a strikeout.

Montana will play Utah Valley at 11 a.m. (MT) and Weber State at 1:30 p.m. (MT) on Saturday.