Griz open fall schedule with pair of wins

Saturday, October 10

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

Black Hills State (DH)

The University of Montana Grizzly softball team practices on Sept. 16, 2026, at the University of Montana Softball Field, in Missoula.

Photo by: Marley Barboeisel/University of

10/10/2026 7:53:00 PM | Softball

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team opened its fall exhibition schedule on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of Black Hills State at a cold and wet Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.

Montana won 13-9 and 15-6 as the Grizzlies batted .396 with four home runs and 10 extra-base hits.

Anna Cockhill had two triples and a double while driving in four. Kailee Mejia, Bobbi Cambra, Maisy Schindler and Kaci Kiblen all hit home runs.

"When we swung at good pitches, we had really good at-bats and really good contact. I knew we'd be a team that has some power up and down the line-up, and we showed that," said coach Stef Ewing.

"The middle of our line-up can be lethal."

Game 1 was tied 3-3 after three innings before Montana pulled away, with Cockhill giving the Grizzlies the lead for good with an RBI triple to left-center in the top of the fourth.

Montana scored three runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth to go up 13-3 as the rain picked up in the later innings and both staffs had trouble with their command.

Kaiana Kong pitched the first four innings before being replaced by freshman Makenna Burton, who faced the minimum six batters over the fifth and sixth innings.

She gave up six runs on four hits and two walks in the top of the seventh when the ball became overly slick.

"She did well considering the conditions," said Ewing. "I loved how she looked the first two innings, then she came off the field and said she couldn't grip the ball. She was just happy to get it over the plate."

Montana had just six hits in the opener but used other means to advance runners around the bases and across home plate, including three sacrifice flies.

"The biggest thing I loved is that we didn't have a lot of hits but we had really productive at-bats," said Ewing

"We talk about situational hitting and doing your job. It doesn't have to be a hit. It can be a ground ball to the right side, a sacrifice fly. We did a really good job of that today."

After Black Hills State scored six runs in the top of the seventh in Game 1, the Yellowjackets came right back and scored three more times in the top of the first in Game 2 to take an early 3-0 lead.

With Carah Sweet getting the start, Black Hills State scored on an RBI double, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly.

"It was great to have competition in the fall where if you make a mistake and leave something in the middle of the plate or an error, teams are going to make you pay," said Ewing.

"They put a little bit of pressure on us. I loved the competition."

Sweet settled in over the next four innings, while her teammates gave her plenty of support at the plate.

Cambra hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first as the Grizzlies answered the Yellowjackets' three-run top of the first with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

Montana scored six runs on five hits in the third and Schindler hit a two-run home run in the fourth before Kiblen hit a solo home run in the fifth.

Four of Montana's five freshmen played major roles on Saturday, with Burton making her debut in the circle over the final three innings of Game 1.

Cambra went 2 for 4 on the day with a double and a home run and three driven in. Schindler hit a home run and scored three times. Riley Baumann had a hit and drew three walks.

"We knew this freshman class was going to come in and create of lot of competition and be able to help," said Ewing.

"We were switching seven players at a time today and didn't skip a beat on offense or defense. We have a lot of options."

Sweet worked five innings, with Kong pitching a dominant sixth, when she struck out two.

"I loved how she looked coming in in the late innings, which is the role she had for us last year," said Ewing.

Cockhill went 2 for 3 in Game 2 and scored three times, as did Kiblen, who used the open substitution rule to pinch run multiple times.

Cockhill had a team-high four hits for the doubleheader and a team-high five runs scored. Cockhill and Mejia both drove in four. Montana stole six bases.

Montana's scheduled doubleheader against North Idaho, set for Sunday, has been moved to the following Sunday, Oct. 18, with first pitch at noon.

The Grizzlies will wrap up their fall schedule with doubleheaders against MSU Billings and Carroll on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25.