Beavers take the finale

Sunday, March 23

Missoula, Mont.

11 AM

Montana

7-24

Oregon State

14-13

Oregon State

Montana

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

3/23/2025 3:12:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team dropped the finale of its three-game series with Oregon State on Sunday at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula, falling to the Beavers 6-0.

Oregon State's Logan Hulon struck out 12 Montana batters in Oregon State's 5-3 win in Friday's opener, all three Grizzly runs coming in the bottom of the seventh.

Hulon threw again on Sunday and limited Montana to a single hit and a single baserunner while striking out eight.

Presley Jantzi's single up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the fourth was Montana's lone offensive highlight of the day.

"When we see a pitcher for a second time, we have to perform better," said coach Stef Ewing.

Montana (7-24) batted just .151 with 24 strikeouts against the Beavers (14-13) in the series, with only four extra-base hits and five runs scored.

The Grizzlies, who put up 11 runs on Colgate, 13 on Manhattan and scored five times against Nebraska, all in the first two weeks of the season, are now averaging fewer than three runs per game.

"We swung the bats really well the first two weekends of the season. Our offense has become anemic since then," said Ewing.

"We have to be able to score some runs. One hit, two runs, only getting runs in the last inning, that's not Griz Softball. That's not how we're going to stay in games and give ourselves opportunities to win."

It was ace against ace on Sunday, as Montana threw Grace Haegele against Hulon.

Haegele gave up a two-run home run in the second, a two-out, two-run double in the fourth and a run on a fielder's choice in the fifth.

The Beavers added their sixth and final run in the top of the seventh off Brianna Lachermeier.

Montana had allowed five or fewer runs in its previous seven games and still saw its season ERA dip a bit more on Sunday.

"If our pitchers give up less than five runs, we have to be able to put up some runs and we're not doing that right now," said Ewing.

"We prepare for every pitcher and every pitching staff we'll see all week. We have to be able to take what we do in practice and put it into the game."

Jantzi, Madison Tarrant and Anna Cockhill each had two hits in the series, with Cockhill scoring twice.

Montana will open its Big Sky Conference schedule next weekend at Northern Colorado against the preseason league favorite.

"Conference play starts on Friday, so now there is a sense of urgency," said Ewing. "We need people who are going to step up and be able to own their moment and find a way to get the job done.

"We have to be ready to go out there and be the same, consistent team all the time. We can't be one day on, one day off."

The Grizzlies and the Bears (8-21) will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 2 p.m. at UNC's Gloria Rodriguez Field. The teams will play a single game on Saturday at noon.