Grizzlies remain unbeaten with pair of run-rule wins

Saturday, February 8

Metairie, La.

8:30 AM (MT)

Montana

3-0

Jackson State

0-3

Montana

Jackson State

Photo by: © Derek Johnson 2019

Grizzlies remain unbeaten with pair of run-rule wins

2/8/2020 7:01:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team improved to 4-0 with a pair of run-rule victories on Saturday at the Big Easy Classic in Metairie, La.

The Grizzlies defeated Jackson State, 9-1, and Alabama A&M, 12-3, and now set their sights on a Sunday-morning game against No. 18 Texas Tech, which will also come in 4-0.

If Montana won two games on Friday primarily because of its pitching, Saturday was all about the bats.

The Grizzlies hit a program-record five home runs in its victory over Jackson State, then added three more against Alabama A&M as Montana rallied from a 3-0 deficit after three innings.

Michaela Hood got the start in Saturday's opener against the Tigers and took the ball with a 4-0 lead thanks to a four-run top of the first and a three-run home run by Maygen McGrath.

Cami Sellers hit a solo shot in the second as the Grizzlies went up 6-0.

Jessica McAlister led off the third with a home run, then Brooklyn Weisgram and McAlister went back-to-back in the fifth.

That was plenty of support for Hood, who didn't allow a hit until the fourth. She set down Jackson State in order in the fifth to end it early and collect her first win of the season.

McGrath, Weisgram and McAlister, batting No. 5-7 in the lineup, went 6 for 9 with six RBIs and five runs scored.

In Saturday's second game, freshman pitcher Ashley Ward made her collegiate debut and lasted 1 2/3 innings, getting relieved by Tristin Achenbach after the Bulldogs put up three in the second.

Alabama A&M starter Lisabelle Hansell limited Montana to one hit through three innings before the Grizzlies finally got rolling in the fourth.

McGrath hit a two-run home run to left-center to pull Montana within one, 3-2, then the Grizzlies took control with three runs in the fifth, seven more in the sixth.

Sellers had an RBI double in the fifth, followed by a two-run home run by Morgan Johnson.

In the sixth, Kylie Becker had a two-run single, Johnson a two-run double and McGrath a two-run home run, her team-leading third of the season.

Achenbach improved to 3-0 with the win. She pitched the final 4 1/3 innings, allowing two hits while striking out five.

Johnson and McGrath both drove in four, with Johnson scoring three times.

In two wins on Saturday, Montana batted .294. Eleven of its 15 hits went for extra bases.

Texas Tech has tournament victories over Houston Baptist, 6-0, Jackson State, 5-1, Louisiana Tech, 9-5, and Central Arkansas, 1-0.

The Grizzlies are seeking their first-ever victory over a ranked opponent.