The Retort

Jackets Held Scoreless in Twinbill, 9-0 and 4-0

April 19th, 2010 by MSUB Athletics For The Retort

The Western Oregon pitching staff silenced the bats of the Montana State Billings Yellowjacket softball squad Sunday afternoon at Cenex Stadium, holding MSUB scoreless in the doubleheader and taking the weekend series three games to four. The Yellowjackets fell to 15-20 on the season and 12-12 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

The Wolves’ Jessica Wood and Jessie Lessard combined to toss 13 innings, allowing no runs on eight hits and fanning 13 Yellowjackets in helping Western Oregon improve to 22-14 on the year and 16-7 in conference. WOU scattered 18 hits for 13 runs against Yellowjacket pitching, striking out six times.

Game one starter, Lindsey Trenary, found trouble early on as she loaded the bases with a pair of walks and two outs in the first inning, but managed to avoid damage by getting Stephanie Albrecht to ground out to Kaycee Hoffman at first. She then fell behind in the third when Jessica Hallmark hit her first of three home runs on the day to give WOU a 1-0 lead.

As MSUB continued to struggle with their bats through the fourth, Western Oregon blew the game wide open in the fifth. The Wolves strung together a streak of seven batters reaching base safely before their first out. They eventually tallied eight runs on four hits and two defensive errors by MSUB to stake a 9-0 lead.

Wood closed out the game, sitting the Jackets down in order. Trenary left the game after facing four batters in the fifth, tossing four plus innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and walking five. Josie Grotbo threw one inning of relief, allowing five runs, one earned, on three hits.

Trenary again got the start in game two as she went up against Lessard in the circle. The Wolves struck first in the top of the second when Hallmark hit her third blast of the day to give WOU a 1-0 lead. It proved to be enough as the Jackets were unable to move runners around the bags, stranding eight for the game.

Western again struck in the fourth, getting a double with two outs and then an RBI single to take a 2-0 lead. They added another pair in the fifth to end the scoring and secure the victory.

In game two, MSUB had five hits, all by different players, and all were singles. Trenary tossed seven full innings and allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out five.

The Yellowjackets now hit the road for back-to-back series on the road. They take on Northwest Nazarene this Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, in Nampa, Idaho and then travel to Lacey, Wash. to take on Saint Martin’s on Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25.