Tuesday, April 16
Missoula, Mont.
2:30 PM
Montana
15-26
8
vs
0
Carroll
0
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Carroll
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
Montana
0
6
0
0
2
8
9
0
Photo by: Ryan Brennecke/ University of Mo
Griz sweep away Saints
4/16/2024 9:21:00 PM | Softball
The Montana softball team posted a pair of walk-off, run-rule victories over Carroll on Tuesday afternoon at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula as it prepares for the final weeks of the 2024 season.
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Going into the day on a six-game losing streak and holding a 0-9 record in Big Sky Conference games, the Grizzlies got what they needed out of the doubleheader sweep: a bit of momentum.
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Montana (16-26) went 18 for 43 (.419) at the plate and got walk-off hits from Hannah Jablonski and Riley Peschek in the victories.
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Emmalyn Brinka threw a shutout in Game 1, an 8-0 victory, and Rylee Rehbein, Grace Haegele and Nyeala Herndon combined for a four-hitter in a 9-1 win in Game 2 in six innings.
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"A lot of our talk was, let's make it about taking care of the job in front of us. I thought we did a great job with that today," said coach Melanie Meuchel.
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"We were very present in our at-bats. Same on the mound. Just taking care and managing the pitch that's in front of you, the hitter that's in front of you."
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Montana wasted little time opening up a big lead in Game 1, turning six hits in the bottom of the second into an early 6-0 lead.
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Four players had run-scoring hits in the inning, with Jessica Stanfield hitting a two-run single up the middle and Presley Jantzi doubling down the left-field line to score two more.
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Leading 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Kelly Sweyer led off with a single through the left side before Jablonski ended it with a home run to left into a strong wind.
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It was her first home run of the season, the fifth of her career.
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That's all Brinka needed to throw her first shutout as a Grizzly, using just 62 pitches to do it. She struck out three and gave up three hits without a walk.
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"I thought we were aggressive in what we did," said Meuchel. "I thought we controlled our day and controlled the game today in every aspect.
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"We pitched it well, defended behind and hit really well, really squared up some balls."
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Carroll's only run of the doubleheader came on the second pitch of Game 2 when Brookelynn Jackson hit a fly ball to left that hit off the top of the fence and into home run territory.
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Montana tied it with a run in the bottom of the first, then had another six-run inning in the bottom of the third on six hits.
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Peschek and Jablonski had back-to-back triples, Kynzie Mohl had a two-run double to the fence in center and Chloë Saxton had a two-run single.
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After going down in order in the fourth and fifth innings, Montana won it in the bottom of the sixth.
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Makena Strong collected her fifth hit of the season with one out and Jantzi was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second for Peschek, who tripled to right-center to end it.
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Haegele, who struck out three while throwing two innings of relief, got the win to improve to 6-8.
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Jablonski went 3 for 5 on the day, Peschek 4 for 7. Both drove in four and scored three times. Jantzi had two hits and also scored three runs.
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Montana will host second-place Portland State this weekend at Grizzly Softball Field, then close out the regular season with a series at Sacramento State, the Big Sky's highest-ranked team in the national RPI.
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"We're recognizing when we take care of what's sitting in front of us and not make something so big, we settle into how we know we can play," said Meuchel.
Â
"That's been our focus the last few days, just taking care of what we are able to take care of."
Â
Going into the day on a six-game losing streak and holding a 0-9 record in Big Sky Conference games, the Grizzlies got what they needed out of the doubleheader sweep: a bit of momentum.
Â
Montana (16-26) went 18 for 43 (.419) at the plate and got walk-off hits from Hannah Jablonski and Riley Peschek in the victories.
Â
Emmalyn Brinka threw a shutout in Game 1, an 8-0 victory, and Rylee Rehbein, Grace Haegele and Nyeala Herndon combined for a four-hitter in a 9-1 win in Game 2 in six innings.
Â
"A lot of our talk was, let's make it about taking care of the job in front of us. I thought we did a great job with that today," said coach Melanie Meuchel.
Â
"We were very present in our at-bats. Same on the mound. Just taking care and managing the pitch that's in front of you, the hitter that's in front of you."
Â
Montana wasted little time opening up a big lead in Game 1, turning six hits in the bottom of the second into an early 6-0 lead.
Â
Four players had run-scoring hits in the inning, with Jessica Stanfield hitting a two-run single up the middle and Presley Jantzi doubling down the left-field line to score two more.
Â
Leading 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Kelly Sweyer led off with a single through the left side before Jablonski ended it with a home run to left into a strong wind.
Â
It was her first home run of the season, the fifth of her career.
Â
That's all Brinka needed to throw her first shutout as a Grizzly, using just 62 pitches to do it. She struck out three and gave up three hits without a walk.
Â
"I thought we were aggressive in what we did," said Meuchel. "I thought we controlled our day and controlled the game today in every aspect.
Â
"We pitched it well, defended behind and hit really well, really squared up some balls."
Â
Carroll's only run of the doubleheader came on the second pitch of Game 2 when Brookelynn Jackson hit a fly ball to left that hit off the top of the fence and into home run territory.
Â
Montana tied it with a run in the bottom of the first, then had another six-run inning in the bottom of the third on six hits.
Â
Peschek and Jablonski had back-to-back triples, Kynzie Mohl had a two-run double to the fence in center and Chloë Saxton had a two-run single.
Â
After going down in order in the fourth and fifth innings, Montana won it in the bottom of the sixth.
Â
Makena Strong collected her fifth hit of the season with one out and Jantzi was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second for Peschek, who tripled to right-center to end it.
Â
Haegele, who struck out three while throwing two innings of relief, got the win to improve to 6-8.
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Jablonski went 3 for 5 on the day, Peschek 4 for 7. Both drove in four and scored three times. Jantzi had two hits and also scored three runs.
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Montana will host second-place Portland State this weekend at Grizzly Softball Field, then close out the regular season with a series at Sacramento State, the Big Sky's highest-ranked team in the national RPI.
Â
"We're recognizing when we take care of what's sitting in front of us and not make something so big, we settle into how we know we can play," said Meuchel.
Â
"That's been our focus the last few days, just taking care of what we are able to take care of."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brinka, Emmalyn (4-13)
Batting:
2B: Jantzi, Presley 1 ; Peschek, Riley 1 ; Sweyer, Kelly 1 ; Jablonski, Hannah 1
HR: Jablonski, Hannah 1
RBI: Jantzi, Presley 2 ; Peschek, Riley 1 ; Sweyer, Kelly 1 ; Jablonski, Hannah 2 ; Stanfield, Jessica 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Jantzi, Presley 1 ; Peschek, Riley 1 ; Bonkavich, Breiana 1 ; Jablonski, Hannah 2 ; Stockton, Riley 1 ; Stanfield, Jessica 1 ; Ontiveros, Elise 1
SB: Stockton, Riley 1 ; Stanfield, Jessica 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
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