Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings Softball team lost their second two games of their four game home-stand against Western Washington University by scores of 2-12 and 5-13.
 
Western Washington (13-8, 5-5 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) evened the series against MSUB with two wins on Sunday, Mar. 23.  The Vikings used a strong fifth inning in the first game to get the win 12-2.  In the second game, WWU had a come-from-behind win when they pumped out 10 more runs after an early 3-4 deficit.
 
MSUB 2, WWU 12 (in five complete innings)
 
Western Washington scored two runs in the first and three in the fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead into the fifth.  In the first game it was a strong fifth inning that had the Vikings winning the game after taking a 10 run lead.  After three runs scored in the fifth inning, Haylee Baker came up to the plate for the Vikings for the second time in the inning to hit a three-run homerun over the center field fence.  Baker was 2-4 in the game with 4 RBI's.  WWU would reload the bases and Emma Blauser came up to bat for a grand slam to add four more runs to the Vikings total to end the game at 12-2.
 
The two runs for MSUB came from left fielder Cori Gammon.  After Bella Rovens led off the bottom first inning with a single, Gammon hit a two-run homerun into center field on a full count for her first career homerun.  The Yellowjackets had another chance in the second inning with bases loaded to add some more runs, but were unable to capitalize.  Amanda Todd (1-5) recorded the loss for MSUB.  She pitched four innings, fanning 10 hits and allowing six runs. 
 
 
MSUB 5, WWU 13
 
Haylee Baker continued her homerun streak for the Vikings in game four of the series as she went 3-5 with 3 RBI's in the second game.  Baker would finish with a homerun in each of the four games against the Yellowjackets.  Emma Blauser recorded a homerun in both of today's games.  Autumn Isaacson was 4-5 in the win as three Vikings had a homerun in the second game of the double-header.
 
For MSUB Emily Osborne had her first homerun of the season as she hit a two-run shot into right center to put the Yellowjackets one run back, 2-3 in the second inning.  Two more runs would score in the second and MSUB would take the early lead at 4-3.   
 
Western Washington would bounce back scoring seven runs in the fourth and three more in the seventh to put the game away.  Kaleigh Keating, Baker, and Blauser all had a homerun.  Blauser finished with 3 RBI's while Keating had two and Baker hit a solo shot.  After pitching a complete game in the first game to record the win, Jenna DeRosier (7-3) came back in to pitch in the second game after a 3-4 deficit to add another win to her record.  DeRosier finished the two games today fanning 9 hits and three runs.  In game two she came in to relieve Ison Aspen in the third inning to hold the Yellowjackets to just one earned run.
 
MSU Billings' fifth run came in the fifth inning on a pitcher's error when Aubrey Conceicao hit a ball up the middle to score Cori Gammon.  Gammon continued her solid day at the plate for the Yellowjackets; she was 2-4 in the second game with a double.  Taylor Hoke was also 2-4 with a double and a run scored. 
 
Starting on the pitching mound for MSUB was Amanda Roark (0-3).  She would record the loss for the Yellowjackets scattering nine hits and allowing 10 runs.  Jessyka MacDonald came into the game in the fifth inning.  She fanned five hits while allowing three runs. 
 
"Western Washington played better than we did today," Head Coach Lis Allen said. "Their offense took advantage of our miss pitches and hit the ball hard. Their pitchers hit their corners and the defense played well behind them. As a pitching staff we needed to do better about hitting our corners and keeping the ball low in the zone. Our offense still hit well today but it just wasn't enough to go against their strong offense today. Our defense had some miscues that cost us a few outs in the game which allowed Western Washington more at bats. We are going to learn from our 2 loses today and work on those small things at practice next week to prepare for Saint Martin's next weekend."
 
Next week, Montana State University Billings will host four more games as conference opponent Saint Martin's University comes to town for double-headers on Saturday, Mar. 29 and Sunday Mar. 30.  The first pitch on Saturday is scheduled to be thrown out at 1 pm.  Live video and live stats should be available at MSUBSports.com.
 

Western Washington 12, MT State Billings 2 (Mar 23, 2014 at Billings, Mont.) (Game 1)

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Western Washington.. 200 37 - 12 15  1      (12-8, 4-5 GNAC)

MT State Billings... 200 00 -  2  5  4      (9-11, 4-7 GNAC)

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Pitchers: Western Washington - Jenna DeRosier and Mackenzie Hughes. MT State Billings -Todd,Amanda; Campbell,Jessica(5) and Sanders,Brittney.

Win-Jenna DeRosier(6-3)  Loss-Todd,Amanda(1-5)  T-2:00  A-67

HR WWU - Haylee Baker (1); Emma Blauser (1).

HR MSUB - Gammon,Cori (1).

Weather: cold, cloudy

Todd faced 1 batter in the 5th.

Game: MSUBWWU3

 
Western Washington 13, MT State Billings 5 (Mar 23, 2014 at Billings, Mont.) (Game 2)
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Western Washington.. 300 700 3 - 13 14  3      (13-8, 5-5 GNAC)
MT State Billings... 040 010 0 -  5  9  2      (9-12, 4-8 GNAC)
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Pitchers: Western Washington - Aspen Ison; Jenna DeRosier(3) and Taylor Clark.