BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings softball team completed a two-game sweep over Central Washington Friday afternoon. Game 1 MSUB won 7-1, and in an exciting second game the Yellowjackets came back from a 9-1 deficit to take Game 2 12-10 in extra innings.
Down 10-9 in the eighth inning, sophomore
Bella Rovens smoked a 3-RBI walk-off home run to end Game 2 over the Wildcats. The Yellowjackets hit well all day in the batter's box. In Game 1, MSU Billings outhit CWU 12-7 and in Game 2 the Yellowjackets tied the MSUB single-game record with 21 total team hits.
In Game 1 sophomore
Kelsey Devlin hit 2-3 with two runs and four of MSUB's six total RBIs. The third baseman sent one over the fence in the fourth inning to put MSUB ahead 2-0. She came back in the fifth inning with her second home run of the game, and fourth of the season, adding three RBIs for a 6-1 lead over Central Washington.
Rovens was 4-6 in Game 2 with three runs and three RBIs. The game winning home run was her first of the season. MSUB was just two shy of the single game record of 45 at-bats set in 2007 against Incarnate Word. The team did tie the single game record of 21 hits against the University of Great Falls from Apr. 22, 2007.
At the end of the day, Devlin finished with two home runs while senior
Taylor Hoke, Rovens, and freshman
Cameron Cassinelli also added one apiece.
Game 1 - MSU Billings 7, Central Washington 1 Big bats and solid defense backed up a one run game from pitcher
Jessyka MacDonald. MacDonald tossed the complete game for the Yellowjackets allowing one run on seven hits while fanning six. She faced 26 batters and earned her ninth win of the season.
The St. Vincent Player of the Day, Devlin hit home runs three and four as the sophomore went 2-3 with four RBIs and two runs. Hoke hit 3-4 and added the third home run of the game with a single shot in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Yellowjackets scored first in the third inning on an RBI single from catcher
Brittney Sanders. Devlin's home run in the fourth and Hoke's home run in the fifth put MSUB up 3-0. With two outs and two on, Devlin sent her second home run of the game out over the center field fence for the 6-1 advantage over the Wildcats. Rovens tacked on the final run in the bottom of the sixth inning scoring on an error by the CWU catcher.
Central Washington did have seven hits in Game 1, but was unable to string the hits necessary to push runs across the plate. Shortstop Sammy Morris was 1-for-2 in the game hitting an RBI single in the fourth inning for CWU's lone run of the game.
Sophomore Kiana Wood (5-6) picked up the loss in the circle for CWU. She pitched 4 2/3 innings allowing six runs on 10 hits and fanning six.
Game 2 - MSU Billings 12, Central Washington 10 (8 innings) Game 2 of the doubleheader with Central Washington featured a dramatic comeback from the Yellowjackets capped off by the first home run of the season for center fielder Rovens to win the game.
After five innings MSUB found themselves down 9-2 as the Yellowjackets were solidly outhitting the Wildcats, but couldn't find ways to push runs across the plate. The Wildcats added six runs in the fifth inning to give the team an eight-run lead. Starting with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the 'Jackets found a way to rally for the comeback.
Rovens started if off for MSUB in the sixth with a single. Left fielder
Amanda Barham moved Rovens to second on a single. Hoke hit the third single of the inning to score Rovens.
Aubrey Conceicao got one of her RBIs on her next at bat hitting a sacrifice to bring in Barham, closing the CWU gap down to 4.
The Yellowjackets added five more runs in a wild seventh inning to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Cassinelli walked to open the inning. Two singles from MSUB loaded the bases. A short hit from Rovens caught the runner at home to give the Yellowjackets one out.
Two errors from the Wildcats and two more singles from the Yellowjackets put MSUB just one run short 9-8. Conceicao stepped to the plate and did her part, belting a deep ball into right field for the sacrifice fly plating Hoke and knotting the game at 9-all.
In the eighth inning, Katie Focher hit a solo home run to right field putting the Wildcats up by one.
In the bottom of the eighth, Devlin hit a single to left field to put the tying run on.
Heather Tracy moved her to second base on a perfectly-placed bunt single. Now with the winning run on first, Rovens won the game on a high pitch, sending it sailing over the right field fence to complete the comeback win for the 'Jackets.
Rovens was 4-6 in Game 2 with three runs and three RBIs. Devlin was 4-5 in Game 2 ending the day 6-9 with four runs and five RBIs. In Game 2 Tracy matched Rovens and Devlin with four hits adding a stolen base for her eighth of the season. Rovens now has nine stolen bases on the season, one shy of her total of 10 last season.
In the circle for MSUB, MacDonald (10-5) finished out the game for MSUB pitching 3 2/3 innings striking out five.
Jessica Campbell (three innings) and
Megan Dettling (1 1/3 innings) faced 29 batters before MacDonald entered the game to face the final 14 at the plate.
Central Washington had three home runs in the game. Kailyn Campbell had a team-leading 5 RBIs. Lindsey Kamphuis (10-7) pitched the complete game for the Wildcats, allowing 12 runs on 21 hits for the loss.
With the two wins today, MSUB moves to 18-17 on the season 8-6 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, tying Central Washington which moves to 17-15 overall, but is now also 8-6 in conference.
MSU Billings hosts another doubleheader against CWU tomorrow, Saturday, Apr. 3 starting at noon.
