Bats stay hot, Montana sweeps Friday games

Friday, March 8

Missoula, Mont.

12:30 PM

Montana

8-15

Northern Illinois

4-12

Northern Illinois

Montana

Photo by: çBill Jarvis

3/8/2024 8:09:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Montana Sports Information

There is something special brewing in Missoula and it's coming from an unexpected source: the suddenly unstoppable Montana softball team.

The Grizzlies swept a pair of games from Northern Illinois and Holy Cross on Friday, putting up 19 runs to give Montana five or more runs in seven consecutive games, or the same number of games the Grizzlies scored five or more runs against Division I competition all of last season.

It's only the fourth time in program history a Grizzly team has put up that kind of sustained run production.

Montana rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Northern Illinois 7-6 in the Grizzlies' first game on Friday at the Montana Softball Classic in Missoula, then pounded four Holy Cross pitchers for 12 runs on 14 hits in a 12-7 victory, the most runs scored by the Grizzlies since 2022.

"I think our fight is next level compared to last year," said Presley Jantzi, Montana's leadoff batter who went 6 for 9 on Friday with three runs batted in and three runs scored.

"Everyone 1 through 9 thinks, okay, I'm going to get up and do something. Last year we'd get three on and nobody would come up big. Now people think they are going to do something special and do something big."

That showed itself in Thursday's 8-7 eight-inning win over Holy Cross, when Montana scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to tie it, then scored the winning run in the eighth.

Facing Northern Illinois on Friday, Montana fell behind 3-0 and 6-2 but never blinked.

In the bottom of the fifth, Riley Peschek scorched a double to the fence in right-center to bring the Grizzlies within two, 6-4, setting up the dramatic seventh.

After Chloë Saxton drew a five-pitch walk to lead off the inning, Jantzi singled and Madison Tarrant drew her own walk to load the bases with nobody out.

The Grizzlies just passed the bat, with Jocelyn Eisen tying it with a two-run single up the middle, then Hannah Jablonski, who had four hits on Friday, winning it three pitches later with her own single up the middle to walk it off.

Deficits of 3-0 and 6-2 would have spelled doom for last year's team. This year's Grizzlies? Not so much. "We've talked about it a lot, of grit and pushing through," said Jantzi. "All of us have said we don't want to repeat last year and we know we're not going to.

"We've stayed a lot more in it this year and positive with each other, not getting down on ourselves. That has kept us in games to get those runs back."

Holy Cross had no chance against those confident bats in the next game.

Jantzi had a bases-loaded double to left in the second, Riley Stockton a bases-loaded double to center in the third, and just like that Montana led 6-1. The Grizzlies made it 7-1 in the fourth when Jablonski hit an RBI double to left that was maybe one more pancake for breakfast from clearing the fence.

Sure, Holy Cross put up five in the top of the fifth to make it 7-6, but Montana answered with their own five spot in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs on six hits.

Kelly Sweyer had an RBI pinch-hit double, Peschek had an RBI single, Jocelyn Eisen had a two-run double to right-center and Stockton doubled down the left-field line to drive in another.

A tense game at 7-6 lost its edge as Montana went up 12-6 on its way to a 12-7 victory.

Eight players had hits against the Crusaders, with Jantzi, Jablonski and Stockton all coming through with three hits. Stockton drove in a career-high four runs, Jantzi three.

Montana batted .439 in two games on Friday and had an on-base percentage of .522, drawing eight walks and twice getting hit by a pitch.

"Kudos to our offense right now. We're creating opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities," said coach Melanie Meuchel. "It really doesn't matter who's at the plate. They are present and determined and confident in what they are going to do."

Emmalyn Brinka (2-8) picked up her second win of the season against Northern Illinois, the pitcher of record in relief when Montana backed her up with three winning runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Grace Haegele (4-4) got the start against Holy Cross and collected the win after allowing four runs over four innings, with Brinka pitching the last three.

"The confidence we have as a collective unit, you're starting to feel it and we're starting to feed off it. It's taking away the pressure on both sides, the offense and the defense," said Meuchel.

"We're playing like we know each side can have each side's back at any point in time. We answered today when we needed to answer and just continue to fight together. I'm dang proud of the fight and the will power of this team."

Seven players had multiple hits on Friday and seven drove in runs. Nine scored. Eisen drove in five and scored four times, both team highs.

The Montana Softball Classic will continue on Saturday with two more games. Holy Cross (4-8) and Northern Illinois (4-12) will play at noon, Montana and Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m.

Montana and Northern Illinois will close out the tournament with a game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.