Griz do it again, rally for fourth straight win

Saturday, March 9

Missoula, Mont.

2:30 PM

Montana

10-15

Northern Illinois

5-13

Northern Illinois

Montana

Photo by: Coral Scoles-Coburn/University of Montana

3/9/2024 7:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Grizzly softball team won its fourth straight game with a 6-3 victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon as the Montana Softball Classic continued in Missoula.

With her team trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Kelly Sweyer had the game's biggest hit, a pinch-hit three-run home run that turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 Montana lead.

Riley Peschek followed with a solo home run and the Grizzlies were not only on their way to season win No. 10 – a total that matches last year's win count – but on their way to their eighth straight game with five or more runs scored.

"You can talk the talk but to believe it and put it into action is what we are currently doing and it's really fun to watch," said coach Melanie Meuchel.

"Any opportunity people are getting, they are taking advantage of those opportunities. It's just a full, collective effort, full collective belief and it's whole lot of fun."

After scoring 19 runs in two wins on Friday, Montana struggled to get to NIU starter Lily Cassell on Saturday, the Grizzlies being limited to three base hits through the first four innings.

One of those, Presley Jantzi's leadoff single through the left side in the bottom of the first, extended her hitting streak to 10 games, the longest for a Grizzly since Maygen McGrath's 19-game streak in 2021.

Northern Illinois scored two in the top of the third off Griz starter Emmalyn Brinka, using a triple, a single and a double, all with two outs, to build a 2-0 lead.

A double and RBI single in the fourth gave the Huskies a 3-0 lead.

While it's the bats in the fifth inning that will get the attention, it was freshman Rylee Rehbein who kept Montana in the game, relieving Brinka and holding Northern Illinois to one hit over its final 3 2/3 innings.

"Anytime someone's number is called, they are showing the ability to take on that role and help the team however they can," said Meuchel. "When called upon, Rylee was ready to help our team win today."

After the fourth inning, with Montana losing 3-0, Sweyer told teammate Grace Hardy, "this will be our breakthrough inning." She was right. "It's rare for our team to go four innings without scoring, so I knew the hits were bound to come. And once we get rolling, we can be pretty hard to stop."

It was the bottom of the order that served as catalyst in the fifth. Chloë Saxton led off the inning with an infield single. With one out, Makena Strong singled to center and Jantzi followed with her third hit of the game, her 11th hit through five games of the home stand, to make it 3-1.

That had Meuchel pointing to Sweyer to pinch hit. On a 1-1 count, she sent her ninth career home run over the fence in left-center to give Montana its first lead of the game.

"I heard she was coming inside a little bit," Sweyer said of facing Cassell. "Anything in the zone is a ball I'm going to attack. She left one out there for me."

Sweyer is 8 for 15 (.533) as a pinch hitter this season, with three doubles, two home runs and eight driven in.

"It's taken me three years to figure (pinch hitting) out," Sweyer said. "It takes so much regulating your emotions and knowing I need to be present right now.

"I used to get so worked up and put so much pressure on myself to perform. I've just realized that what I can do is what I can do. It's my job to do my best, and my best is always going to be good enough."

When the inning ended, after an RBI double by Riley Stockton made it 6-3, Montana had scored six runs on six hits and still had the bases loaded when Northern Illinois finally got the third out.

"Kelly had the huge hit, but that doesn't happen without people getting on base in front of her and putting pressure on an opponent," said Meuchel.

Northern Illinois had a single off Rehbein in the seventh, the Huskies' only hit off the freshman.

Jantzi went 3 for 3, her third consecutive three-hit game, to raise her team-leading batting average to .400. Peschek had two hits to up her average to .324.

Montana (10-15) will conclude the tournament on Sunday at 11 a.m. with another game against Northern Illinois (5-13).