Montana loses 6-4 on Senior Day

Saturday, April 30

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

19-25, 6-11

Northern Colorado

20-27, 8-7

Northern Colorado

Montana

Photo by: Derek Johnson

4/30/2022 5:50:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team lost 6-4 to Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula as the teams wrapped up their three-game series.

With the game tied 2-2 after three innings, the Bears (20-27, 8-7 BSC) put up two in the fourth and two in the fifth to pull ahead for good.

The Grizzlies (19-25, 6-11 BSC) out-hit Northern Colorado 10-7 but went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.

"We didn't get the timely hit when it would have pushed us over the hump," said fifth-year coach Melanie Meuchel. "They did and that was the separation in the game. That got us in the end."

The Bears, who never trailed in the game, put up two in the top of the first. Both were unearned after a Montana fielding error on the ninth pitch of the game, likely the result of carryover from pregame Senior Day festivities.

"There is some emotion with it, some excitement," said Meuchel. "You try to work with them to control it a little bit, but it's something people haven't been through.

"You come to practice every single day at this amazing facility and put everything in for four years. Sometimes the reality of what you love about being here and that this is your last game in front of these fans, there are some emotions that go with it."

Montana left the bases loaded without scoring in the bottom of the first but got on the board in the bottom of the second when Cami Sellers hit a two-run double to left-center that tied the game at 2-2.

After the Grizzlies stranded two more in the third, the Bears took the lead for good in the top of the fourth, going up 3-2 on an RBI single, 4-2 on a passed ball.

Northern Colorado added two more in the fifth on a clutch two-out single to right with runners on second and third.

The Bears could have added to their lead in the sixth when they loaded the bases with one out, but Allie Brock got a flyout to center, and Julie Phelps gunned down a runner at the plate to keep it 6-2.

Brooklyn Weisgram, one of five seniors to be honored on Saturday, made it 6-3 when she led off the bottom of the sixth with her 12th career home run.

Montana threatened in the bottom of the seventh. After Kylie Becker led off with a walk, Elise Ontiveros hit a triple to left-center that made it 6-4 and brought the tying run to the plate.

It gave Ontiveros her second hit of the day and capped a 7-for-9 series that upped her season batting average to .366, second on the team behind only Maygen McGrath (.386).

Isabelle Dinapoli replaced starter Meghan Golden after Ontiveros's triple and set down three straight to end the game and pick up season save No. 2.

Brock (9-13) took the loss. Ontiveros, Weisgram and Jaxie Klucewich all had two hits.

The loss came in the final game of the regular season for Montana, which will travel to Ogden, Utah, the second week of May for the Big Sky Conference tournament.

After opening league 4-2, Montana closed going 2-9 and will be the tournament's No. 6 seed. The Griz will face the No. 3 seed on Wednesday, May 11.

"One thing I continue to tell them is we go through a season for a reason. Yes, you want to win as many games as possible, but if we're learning along the way, then we're going to be better because of it," said Meuchel.

"We have the Big Sky Conference tournament sitting in front of us. That's what we're looking at and trying to put everything in our tool box to be able to use all of those tools that week in Ogden."

The other six teams of the Big Sky will wrap up their regular seasons next weekend.