Montana drops pair of games in Bakersfield

Friday, February 23

Bakersfield, Calif.

10 AM (MT)

Montana

3-8

Saint Mary's

6-5

Montana

Saint Mary's

2/23/2024 3:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team lost a pair of games on Friday as the CSUB Kathy Welter Classic opened in Bakersfield, Calif.

The Grizzlies (3-9) lost 4-3 to Saint Mary's, then 8-3 to the host Roadrunners in their home opener as Bakersfield picked up its second win of the season.

Montana allowed its two Friday opponents to hit .407 while the Grizzlies struggled to get baserunners across home plate, leaving 16 on base in the two games.

Montana fell behind early in both games, giving up four runs in the bottom of the first to Saint Mary's, two to CSU Bakersfield. The Grizzlies never held a lead on Friday.

The Gaels got to Montana starter Grace Haegele (2-3) for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the first.

Freshman Rylee Rehbein came on in relief with two outs in the bottom of the first and shut Saint Mary's down the rest of the way, holding the Gaels scoreless over 5 1/3 innings while striking out five.

Montana made it 4-1 when Kelly Sweyer led off the top of the second with a solo home run, 4-2 when Jessica Stanfield led off the top of the third with a solo home run.

It was Sweyer's second home run of the season, the eighth of her career. Stanfield's home run was her first as a Grizzly.

After Stanfield's home run, Montana loaded the bases with nobody out but could only score one more run on a walk by Grace Hardy.

The Grizzlies had just one hit over the final four innings and finished with four hits for the game.

Against Bakersfield, which entered the game with a 1-7 record, Montana fell behind 2-0 after one inning, 3-0 after three as the Grizzlies failed to capitalize on their opportunities.

Montana had runners on second and third with nobody out in the top of the first and couldn't get a run across and runners on first and second with one out in the second and came up empty.

Montana got its leadoff runner on base in each of the first five innings but didn't get on the scoreboard until the top of the fourth.

With runners on second and third and one out, Makena Strong fouled out down the right-field line to score Riley Peschek from third. Presley Jantzi followed with an RBI single that scored Grace Hardy.

Trailing 4-2 after four innings, Montana had its best chance in the top of the fifth when the Grizzlies loaded the bases with nobody out on a base hit, a hit by pitch and a walk.

Bakersfield got out of the inning with a force out at home, then turned a slick 6-4-3 double play.

Montana pulled within 5-3 on a single to left by Jocelyn Eisen in the top of the sixth that scored Strong. The Roadrunners put the game out of reach with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth.

Emmalyn Brinka (1-5) got the start for Montana and threw five innings. Freshman Nyeala Herndon pitched the sixth.

Jantzi went 3 for 4, her fourth multiple-hit game of the season, to up her batting average to .410. Eisen went 2 for 3 to give Montana's two leading hitters five of their team's seven hits against Bakersfield.

Montana, which has lost six straight and nine of 10 since opening the season with back-to-back wins, will face Saint Mary's at 10 a.m. (MT) on Saturday, CSU Bakersfield at 3 p.m. (MT).