Griz wrap up play at Black and Orange Classic

Sunday, March 9

Pocatello, Idaho

10 AM

Montana

5-17

Washington

18-7

Washington

Montana

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

3/9/2025 5:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team finished play at the Black and Orange Classic in Pocatello, Idaho, on Sunday with losses to a pair of the top teams in the Northwest.

Washington won its 12th consecutive game in topping the Grizzlies 11-0 in five innings. Boise State improved to 19-5 with a 9-3 win over Montana.

"We faced two good teams that pitched and hit it well," said coach Stef Ewing. "We need to continue to work on taking care of the ball on defense and making adjustments at the plate."

Washington's Stevie Hansen, who won 36 games at Oregon over three seasons before transferring to the Huskies, improved to 5-0 on the season by pitching a perfect game over five innings.

It was the second perfect game thrown against Montana in its history, the first time it was done by a starter who went the distance. Oregon did it with a pair of pitchers in a five-inning game in 2021.

Hansen struck out six of the 15 batters she faced, got six ground outs and three fly outs.

Grace Haegele got the start for Montana, her first appearance of the season. She got through the first without a hit allowed, but Washington struck for six runs on seven hits in the top of the second.

The Huskies added three runs in the top of the fourth, two more in the top of the fifth.

Alexis DeBoer, daughter of Kalen, the former Washington football coach who is now at Alabama, hit a home run in the Huskies' 7-5 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon.

She hit two more on Sunday, giving her 10 for the season.

Montana turned around and quickly fell behind Boise State in the Grizzlies' second game of the day, giving up four runs to the Broncos in the top of the first, another in the second.

Montana answered with three consecutive runs, the first coming on Madison Tarrant's first career home run, a solo shot in the bottom of the second.

The Grizzlies made it 5-3 in the third. Grace Lopez led off with a single, Anna Cockhill followed with an RBI triple to right-center. Two batters later Sveva Sweeney singled to left to drive in Cockhill.

That would be the end of the comeback as Montana went down in order over the final four innings.

Boise State hit a three-run home run off Griz starter Brianna Lachermeier in the first, a three-run home run off Cameryn Ortega in the seventh.

The Broncos entered the weekend ranked first nationally in scoring (9.4/g), eighth in home runs (34) and 11th in batting average (.372).

Cockhill had three hits over three games in Pocatello and scored three runs, both team highs. "Anna and Makenna Strong both had great performances this weekend," said Ewing.

Montana batted .147 at the Black and Orange Classic and finished with an ERA of 9.72.

The Black and Orange Classic concludes Montana's tournament schedule. The Grizzlies will mainly play three-game weekend series the rest of the way.

"Time to focus on one team at a time and finding ways to win a three-game series," added Ewing.

"We are so close. There are no easy days in Division I softball, so we have to keep grinding and be the same team every time we step on the field. We can do it. We just have to keep climbing the mountain."

Montana (5-18) will play a three-game series against San Diego (10-15) next weekend at Del Norte High School in San Diego.