Hornets top Grizzlies twice in Friday doubleheader

Friday, April 25

Missoula, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

8-38, 1-12

Sacramento State (DH)

23-21, 8-5

Sacramento State

Montana

Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

4/25/2025 8:57:00 PM | Softball

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By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team opened its three-game series with Sacramento State with a pair of losses on Friday afternoon at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.

The Hornets (24-21, 9-5 BSC) hit five home runs in Game 1 to power their way to a 16-7 five-inning victory.

Sacramento State won Game 2 by a score of 10-1 but it was a tight 3-1 contest going into the seventh, when the Hornets pulled away with seven runs on six hits.

In the opener, Montana got after Sacramento State starter Caroline Evans, a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection last season, in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs on four hits.

Anna Cockhill and Presley Jantzi led off the inning with singles. Madison Tarrant and Hannah Jablonski later hit singles of their own, with Jessica Stanfield adding a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

That output matched Montana's highest-scoring first inning of the season.

"There was some really good preparation this week offensively," said coach Stef Ewing. "The girls really committed to the plan that we had and did a lot of work. It really showed the first game.

"We knew we were going to see Evans and we were all over it. It was great to see. We knew we were going to have to put up a big number to compete and we did. They just scored more runs than we did."

The Hornets didn't waste any time answering, scoring nine runs on eight hits in the top of the second to grab a lead they would not relinquish.

Sacramento State hit .475 for the doubleheader, with 15 of its 29 hits going for extra bases, with six doubles, a triple and eight home runs. The Hornets had 61 total bases on the day to Montana's 14.

After falling behind 9-4, Montana scored two more with two outs in the bottom of the second to pull within 9-6, with Cockhill, Jantzi, Chloe Saxton and Madison Tarrant hitting consecutive singles.

Sacramento State added two in the third, then five in the fifth to get the run-rule victory.

Cockhill, Jantzi and Tarrant each had two hits for the Grizzlies (8-39, 1-13 BSC).

Brianna Lachermeier, Grace Hardy and Grace Haegele all pitched for Montana, with Siona Halwani entering with two outs in the top of the fifth and striking out the only batter she faced.

Halwani had only pitched once since late March because of injury, one inning against Weber State, before coming on in short, one-batter relief against the Hornets in Game 1.

She looked good enough that Ewing gave her the start in Game 2, and Halwani rewarded her coach's confidence, holding the Hornets to three runs through six innings to give her team a chance.

"She got the strikeout in the first game and we said, let's roll with it," said Ewing.

"She owned it. I tell the girls all the time, you have to own your moment. It's good to see her back out there in the circle getting the job done."

For the ninth time in their last 10 Big Sky contests, the Grizzlies opened the scoring in Game 2, using the team's most reliable formula.

Cockhill led off with a sharp single to center, stole second, then scored on a single by Jantzi down the right-field line to go up 1-0 in the bottom of the first.

Montana scored one run on three hits in the inning but left two on. The Grizzlies' next hit would not come until the bottom of the seventh as Kennedie Magorian threw a complete-game four-hitter.

Halwani and Magorian, who went head-to-head in Game 2, were teammates last season at College of San Mateo, combining to go 32-6 for the Bulldogs.

Sacramento State matched Montana's run in the first with a solo home run in the top of the second, then added two more in the third on a sacrifice fly and RBI single.

Halwani held the Hornets without a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings before finally running into trouble in the top of the seventh, when she was relieved by Lachermeier.

"Siona held them. She threw great but she ran out of gas," said Ewing.

Sacramento State hit for the cycle in the seventh, pounding out two singles, a double, a triple and two home runs.

The teams will play the series finale at noon on Saturday.

"We have to come out and swing the bats like we did in Game 1 and have the pitching performance we had in Game 2 and we'll have ourselves a ball game," said Ewing.

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Next Event

Sacramento State

L, 2-12

Apr 26 (Sat)

Noon

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Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Evans, Caroline (7-7)

L: Hardy, Grace (1-4)

Sacramento State

Batting:

2B: Marsh, Katie 1 ; Birch, Jenna 1

HR: Evers-Lyles, Madison 2 ; Carino, Alexa 1 ; Garcia, Shannon 2

RBI: Malepeai, Lafulafu 1 ; Marsh, Katie 2 ; Evers-Lyles, Madison 4 ; Carino, Alexa 4 ; Garcia, Shannon 3 ; Birch, Jenna 2

SH: Marsh, Katie 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Malepeai, Lafulafu 1 ; Marsh, Katie 1 ; Lira, Andrea 2 ; Evers-Lyles, Madison 2 ; Carino, Alexa 2 ; Garcia, Shannon 2 ; Epperson, Faith 1 ; Brown, Avery 2 ; Birch, Jenna 2 ; Ludwig, Gwen 1