Griz open league with pair of losses

Friday, March 29

Ogden, Utah

2 PM

Montana

12-18, 0-1

Weber State

13-16, 1-0

Montana

Weber State

Photo by: Ryan Brennecke/ University of Mo

3/29/2024 8:20:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team dropped a pair of games at Weber State on Friday as Big Sky Conference play opened for both teams.

The Wildcats (14-16, 2-0 BSC) won the opener 6-5, a game that lasted nearly three hours, then took Game 2 in a quick 87 minutes, holding the Grizzlies (12-19, 0-2 BSC) to two hits in a 2-0 victory.

Presley Jantzi went 2 for 3 in Game 1, then had her team's only two hits in Game 2, going 2 for 3 again to raise her season batting average to .431.

The opener took nearly three hours as the teams combined for 18 hits, 15 walks and five wild pitches while leaving 21 runners stranded on base.

Montana left the bases loaded in the top of the first, the top of the fourth and the top of the sixth.

Montana opened the scoring in the top of the first on an RBI ground out by Hannah Jablonski and went up 3-2 in the top of the second on a two-run single by Kelly Sweyer.

Weber State would tie it in the bottom of the second and take a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the third on one hit and four walks.

Rylee Rehbein (6-4), who took the loss after winning her previous three decisions, was replaced in the third by Grace Haegele, who would be replaced by Emmalyn Brinka before the inning was over.

Brinka allowed two hits over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Montana loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fourth but could not score and loaded the bases with nobody out again in the top of the sixth.

RBI walks by Sweyer and Madison Tarrant brought Montana within a run at 6-5 but the Wildcats got a force out at home and a ground out to third to end the threat.

The Grizzlies went down in order in the top of the seventh.

Jocelyn Eisen matched Jantzi with two hits, Sweyer matched her career high with three RBIs.

Montana went with Brinka to start Game 2 and she was nearly as effective, holding Weber State to five hits over six innings.

Weber State went up 1-0 in the first on an RBI bunt, 2-0 in the third on an RBI single to left.

That was all Wildcat starter Cali McCraw needed to improve to 4-1. She allowed a leadoff single to Jantzi in the fourth, a one-out double to Jantzi in the sixth, getting the shutout on 88 pitches.

Brinka took the loss to drop to 2-9.

The teams will wrap up their series with a game at noon on Saturday.