Griz fall in weekend finale

Sunday, February 18

El Paso, Texas

9 AM

Montana

3-7

Purdue-Fort Wayne

2-7

Purdue-Fort Wayne

Montana

Photo: UTEP Athletics

2/18/2024 12:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team closed out play at the UTEP Invitational and Troy Cox Classic tournaments with a 6-0 loss to Purdue-Fort Wayne on Sunday morning in El Paso, Texas.

The Mastodons (2-7) got two home runs, a double and three RBIs from catcher Grace Hollopeter and used three pitchers to shut out the Grizzlies (3-7).

Montana had two hits in the game, a two-out double by Presley Jantzi, her sixth hit in seven at-bats, in the bottom of the third and a leadoff double by Jocelyn Eisen in the bottom of the fourth.

The Grizzlies' best chance to break through came in the bottom of the fifth.

Ahead 5-0, the Mastodons walked Montana's No. 8 and 9 hitters, giving the Grizzlies two on with one out for the top of their order. Relief pitcher Alanah Jones got a strikeout and a fly out to end the threat.

Emmalyn Brinka (1-4) got the start for Montana and allowed seven hits and four runs through four innings while striking out four.

Freshman Nyeala Herndon, making her second collegiate appearance, threw the final three innings. She allowed five hits and two runs while also striking out four.

The eight combined strikeouts by Brinka and Herndon were a season high for the Grizzlies.

Hollopeter gave the Mastodons a 1-0 lead in the top of the third with an RBI double. She led off the fifth with a solo home run to make it 4-0. Her solo shot in the sixth made it 6-0.

The Grizzlies will play five games next weekend at the Kathy Welter Classic in Bakersfield, Calif. Montana will play three games against host CSU Bakersfield, two against Saint Mary's.