Griz drop 5-2 decision to Wolverines

Sunday, March 21

Missoula, Mont.

Noon

Montana

6-18

Utah Valley

11-11

Utah Valley

Montana

Photo by: Derek Johnson

3/21/2021 4:12:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Griz softball team wrapped up the first half of its 2021 schedule on Sunday with a 5-2 loss to Utah Valley as the Montana Classic came to a close at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.

Montana out-hit Utah Valley, but the Wolverines got a three-run home run from senior catcher Basia Query in the top of the fourth off Griz starter Tristin Achenbach, and that proved to be the difference.

Montana now turns its focus to the start of Big Sky Conference play, the team's second season, which begins next weekend with a three-game series at Portland State.

The Grizzlies, who went 1-5 at their home tournament, enter league with a record of 6-18.

"I feel like in the first six weeks we saw some things we definitely need to work on, and we saw some things we liked. Now it's putting it together," said coach Melanie Meuchel.

"The nonconference is when you learn a lot about your team, but you don't completely define who you are at that time. There is still a lot of season sitting ahead of us."

It was staff ace against staff ace on Sunday as Achenbach went up against Devyn Cretz.

After being held to eight hits in two games on Saturday, Montana got off to a good start in Game 3, with Kendall Curtis leading off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle.

Two batters later, Maygen McGrath doubled Curtis home for the game's first run. Kelly Sweyer followed with an infield single, putting two on with one out.

Cretz would strike out the next two Grizzlies, which would start a game-long trend for Montana.

The home team had at least one hit in every inning on Sunday but only scored on McGrath's RBI double in the first and McKenna Tjaden's RBI double in the fifth.

Montana left 11 on base, including two in the fourth, one in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh.

"A lot of talk today was about execution, being the one to step up when that opportunity is there, and I didn't feel like we did that today," said Meuchel.

"It's being able to finish innings, whether it's offensively or defensively. We definitely have some skillsets. We definitely have some abilities to do some things. We've just got to put it together."

After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, Achenbach gave up a double and a run-scoring single in the third, both coming with two outs, as the Wolverines got on the board.

Query had the game-winning hit in the top of the fourth, a three-run home run that followed a single and a walk to make it 4-1.

Utah Valley made it 5-2 in the top of the sixth with a solo home run off Achenbach, who gave up nine hits and struck out seven.

Tjaden and Lexi Knauss both had a pair of hits for the Grizzlies.

Montana will play a doubleheader at Portland State on Saturday, a single game on Sunday as league play begins.