Griz split on Day 2 in El Paso

Saturday, March 6

El Paso, Texas

10 AM

Montana

4-9

Incarnate Word

2-7

Incarnate Word

Montana

3/6/2021 7:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

For the second time in two days at the UTEP Orange and Blue Classic in El Paso, Texas, the Montana softball team won one and lost one.

The Grizzlies opened their Saturday schedule with a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Incarnate Word behind the bat of McKenna Tjaden and arm of Tristin Achenbach, then lost 14-13 to UTEP.

The latter matched the highest-scoring game in program history and set a new standard for scoring in a game that didn't go to extra innings.

Montana trailed UTEP 14-8 going into the top of the seventh and hadn't scored by the time there were two outs.

Then an RBI single, a three-run home run and a solo home run brought the Grizzlies within one before the final out came with the tying run at the plate.

"We showed so much grit, so much pride in what we're doing. I'm just super proud of the effort we showed on the weekend," said coach Melanie Meuchel.

"We carried a lot of things over from our previous outing and we are continuing to build as a team. I think we are so darn close."

Montana jumped out in front in both games, scoring five first-inning runs on Saturday. Against Incarnate Word, the Grizzlies led 2-0 after the first on a two-run single by Anna Toon.

Montana could have blown the game open but left two on in the second and the bases loaded in the third and fourth.

That allowed the Cardinals to take the lead in the top of the fifth, when they scored three runs on four hits to go up 4-2.

Montana won it in the bottom of the sixth. Kendall Curtis singled to center to drive in Maygen McGrath, who had doubled, to make it 4-3.

After a ground out for the second out, Tjaden came to the plate and worked the count full. Her home run to left-center scored Curtis and gave Montana a 5-4 lead.

It made a winner of Tristin Achenbach, who struck out 12 while throwing her second consecutive complete game. She would strike out 26 in three appearances in El Paso in 16 1/3 innings.

"Tristin is a workhorse and she'll be a workhorse," said Meuchel. "She had some good outings this weekend. She made strides toward who she wants to be on the mound."

Montana carried that momentum over to its game against UTEP, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.

McGrath had an RBI double, Cami Sellers scored on a wild pitch and Tjaden had a two-out RBI single to left.

The Grizzlies defeated the Miners 5-2 on Friday behind the pitching of Achenbach.

UTEP had more success on Saturday against starter Ashley Ward and Allie Brock in relief. The Miners scored one in the first, three in the second, six in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth.

And they still had to sweat it out until the final out.

After getting blanked in the second, Montana would score at least one run from the third through the seventh. The Grizzlies had a season-high 15 hits, five for extra bases, and batted .395 for the game.

Elise Ontiveros had an RBI single in the third, McGrath an RBI single in the fourth, Kylie Becker an RBI single in the fifth.

Toon, who went 6 for 10 at the tournament with six RBIs, had an RBI double in the sixth, but a three-run home run by UTEP in the bottom half of the inning seemed to put the game out of reach at 14-8.

With two outs and a runner on, McGrath extended the game with an RBI single to center. Curtis followed with a double, Toon with a three-run home run, her first as a Grizzly.

Tjaden made it 14-13 with a solo home run to left, but a ground out ended the game.

Curtis went 7 for 13 on the weekend, McGrath 7 for 14 with seven RBIs and six runs scored. Becker also scored six times.

Montana will return to Texas next week, to the opposite side of the state, and face Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M at the latter's Davis Diamond Classic in College Station.