Jacks rally, top Grizzlies 6-2

Sunday, February 23

Fayetteville, Ark.

8:30 AM (MT)

Montana

6-9

South Dakota State

8-6

Montana

South Dakota State

2/23/2020 12:05:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

South Dakota State scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth and went on to record a 6-2 victory over Montana on Sunday morning on the final day of the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.

It was a common theme for much of the tournament for the Grizzlies (6-9), who held leads in four of their five games and took a tie into the seventh in the other but finished with just one win.

That victory came on Saturday, a 5-0 shutout of No. 23 Arkansas, giving Montana its first win over a ranked team in program history.

In Friday's 5-2 loss to the Jackrabbits, Montana gave up a four-run fifth after jumping out to an early lead.

Montana and Boston University were tied 2-2 going into the seventh in the Terriers' 3-2 win on Friday, and on Saturday night, Marist turned a 3-1 Griz lead into a 9-5 win with an eight-run fifth.

Montana built a 2-0 lead on South Dakota State on Sunday, going up 1-0 in the top of the first on Maygen McGrath's team-leading fifth home run of the season.

McGrath made it 2-0 in the fourth when she led off the inning with a single up the middle, then later scored from third on a stolen base attempt that led to an out at second.

Saturday's hero, Michaela Hood, got the start and rolled through the first three innings. She was replaced in the fourth by Tristin Achenbach with one out and the bases loaded.

Achenbach got out of the inning with a strikeout and an infield pop-up.

She gave up a solo home run in the fifth as the Jackrabbits made it 2-1, then was relieved by Hood in the sixth after Achenbach gave up a single and the game-tying double.

After Hood got a fly-out for the second out, South Dakota State would get to her for four straight hits, including a two-run home run that made it 6-2.

Montana left two on in the fourth and the bases loaded in the fifth when the Grizzlies could have added to their lead.

McGrath had two of Montana's five hits and scored both of the team's runs. Achenbach took the loss to drop to 4-5 on the season.

Montana will play four games in three days next weekend at UC Riverside's Amy S. Harrison Classic.

The Grizzlies will get two games against the host Highlanders, plus games against Nebraska-Omaha and Michigan State.