Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

SELAH, Wash. – In a pair of games that were moved from Ellensburg to nearby Selah, Wash., the Central Washington and Montana State Billings softball teams split their Great Northwest Athletic Conference games Saturday afternoon, 4-3 and 3-4.

 

The Yellowjackets moved their record to 5-6 on the season and 3-3 in the conference, while the Wildcats are now 3-4 on the year and 1-1 in the conference.

“I'm happy with the way we played today,” said head coach Anthony Stone. “This team played their guts out. I would've liked a little more offense, but our pitching and defense was excellent. If we get a hit or two in that second game, we may have come away with two wins. But you have to give credit to CWU, we stopped hitting and they didn't. That's why you play seven innings. It isn't won after one team scores; you have to keep playing hard. I think we did that with our pitching and defense, but our offense just needs a few more big hits. If that happens, I'll be really excited to see what we can do.”

 

After three scoreless innings to begin game one, the Yellowjackets posted the first run on the board in the top of the fourth inning.

 

Tarn Potter started the inning by reaching on a throwing error by Kelsey Haupert, and then Meg Harasymczuk walked to put the first two batters aboard. The pair advanced to third and second in the next at bat as Kaycee Hoffman laid down a timely sacrifice bunt.

 

Potter later scored from third as she slid under the tag when Annaleisha Parsley laid down another sacrifice bunt to put the Jackets up 1-0.

 

The Wildcats would tie the game in the bottom of the inning as Carrina Wagner sent a first pitch to left field for a solo home run off of Parsley.

 

CWU took the lead late in sixth when shortstop Samantha Petrich drove a 2-1 Parsley pitch to right center for another solo home run. The Wildcats padded their lead later in the inning when Haulpert scored on a single by Lacey Reed to take a 3-1 lead going into the final inning.

 

The Yellowjackets wouldn't go away however, putting the second and third batters of the inning on base with one out. After a Kelly Parsons struckout for the second out of the inning, Becca Frank squeezed a single through the left side to score Samantha Church who was running for Angela Lingle.

 

In the very next at bat, Rose Harrington scorched a ball down the left field line for a game-tying RBI double that scored Amanda Hood, who was pinch-running for Jenna VanEykeren, while Frank went to third on the play.

 

Frank would score in the next at bat as Hadenfeld threw a wild pitch into the back stop and Frank slid into home for the go-ahead run. Parsley shut the door in the seventh, allowing just one hit in the inning to take the win.

 

Parsley threw a complete game to improve to 2-2 on the year, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out five batters. She also walked five, but sustained minimal damage thanks to her defense, which didn't commit an error during the game.

 

The offense sputtered throughout game one, but took advantage of their opportunities as they scored four runs on just three hits.

The Jackets wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in game number two as Nicole Colpron sent a 0-2 pitch from Jessica Harris to straight-away center field for a 3-RBI home run. It was Colpron's first home run as a Yellowjacket.

 

Conder was mowing down the Wildcats until the fourth inning when she gave up her first run of the game. Petrich crossed the plate on a fielder's choice play as the Jackets needed to make a play on the bag for an out.

 

The Wildcats then began to slowly chip away at the MSUB lead, scoring in fifth and then again in the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3.

 

CWU won the game in the bottom of the seventh when Jordan Zurfluh bunted the ball toward Frank who then sailed the throw over Hoffman's head, allowing Zurfluh to advance to second. Natasha Wood then advanced Zurfluh to third as she put a bunt down and beat out the throw.

 

Zurfluh came in for the winning run on the next at bat as Petrich again came through with a single to right center on a 1-2 pitch.

 

Conder took the loss throwing six plus innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits. The sophomore walked four, but struck out eight batters, falling to 3-2 on the season.

 

No Yellowjacket managed more than one hit in the game as the offense produced three runs on four hits and walked four times with eight strikeouts.