BURNABY, B.C. – For the second consecutive day, the Montana State University Billings (10-10, 2-2 GNAC) softball team split a pair of games against Simon Fraser University (5-2, 2-2 GNAC) on Sunday as the teams concluded the opening weekend of Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition.
 
The first game of the day delivered a disappointing loss for the 'Jackets as they never trailed until Simon Fraser scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off with a 9-8 win.
 
Game 2 started with a bang as Megan Dettling plated three runs with a home run before Simon Fraser could record an out in the top of the first inning. MSUB went on to secure a 4-1 win with Simon Fraser scoring their sole run in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. The homer was Dettlings third of the weekend and fifth of the season.
 
Haley Couch tossed the first complete game of her young career in the Game 2 victory. The freshman scattered 10 hits throughout the game while SFU scored their only run on a softly hit fly ball down the right-field line. Pitching to contact, Couch collected one strikeout in the game while inducing nine groundouts and a double play.
 
Myrissa Prince finished the day with a pair of doubles in Game 2, marking it her first career two double game. The senior second baseman finished the series 7-for-15 (.466) with three doubles and three RBI.
 
Amanda Barham picked up her second career triple in Game 2 on Sunday. The leadoff hitter collected three hits over the weekend while drawing four walks in the series.
 
Heather Tracy had hit in each of Sunday's games to bring her hit streak to 25 games. The senior collected 10 hits in the four games and brought her batting average to .566 for the year. She also had eight RBI in the series and is tied with Dettling for the team lead with 20 RBIs this season.
 
Allie Hughes was 4-for-4 in Game 2 and 2-for-4 in Sunday's first game. The freshman has five multi-hit games in 13 starts for the 'Jackets and is hitting .354 on the season.
 
Game 2 was just the fourth of 20 games in which Maddy Lincoln did not appear in the circle for the 'Jackets. The sophomore has pitched just shy of half (48.1%) of the Yellowjackets' innings this season with a team-best 3.09 ERA.  
 
Game 1 - Simon Fraser University 9 , MSU Billings 8 (9 Innings)
 
MSU Billings suffered a tough 9-8 loss in nine innings to start play on Sunday. After Cameron Cassinelli appeared to make a diving tag for the second out in the bottom of the ninth, Simon Fraser's Dallas Tilley was called safe at second. Hailey Gearey lined a single up the middle past the outstretched glove of Myrissa Prince to drive in the walk-off run.
 
The first two innings of play saw just one single between the two squads as Maddy Lincoln (6-5, 3.09 ERA) and counterpart Jessica Tate were off to strong starts in the circle.
 
After a pair of walks to lead off the third inning, Shayla Felix laid down a perfectly placed bunt to put Prince and Kelsee Bushell in scoring position with the top of the MSUB lineup coming to the plate. Amanda Barham recorded the first hit of the game for the 'Jackets with an RBI-single that scored Prince. Barham then stole second bringing Tracy to the plate. Tracy shot a ball through the left side of the infield scoring Bushell and Barham to give the 'Jackets a 3-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the frame, Simon Fraser scored an unearned run when Taylor Gillis scored following an errant throw to third base. Gillis was attempting to steal third and Felix's throw escaped under the glove of Brittanee Fisher allowing the Clan to score their first run of the game.
 
A double from Prince nearly plated another run for MSUB in the fourth as she and Cameron Cassinelli were on second and third with one out. Two quick outs got SFU's Tate out of the jam heading to the bottom of the inning.
 
The Clan scored a run in both the fourth and the fifth inning to tie the game 3-3. Aided by two errors in the fourth, a bases-loaded walk scored the second run of the game for SFU in the fourth. The following inning, the Clan pieced together a run on a walk, two fielder's choice outs and a single to knot up the score.   
 
Following a Fisher double, a Cassinelli walk and an Allie Hughes single, the 'Jackets reclaimed the lead with a Prince sacrifice fly in the sixth. MSUB added another run when Georgiabelle Benning scored on a sacrifice fly from Bushell. Megan Dettling drove home Tracy in the seventh to give the 'Jackets a 6-3 lead with three outs remaining in the game.
 
The Clan collected two doubles and a triple in the bottom of the seventh after piecing together just three hits in the previous six innings against Lincoln.
 
To start off extra innings, Hughes doubled and scored on a Prince single for the 'Jackets. Prince worked around the bases on a wild pitch and passed ball while Felix and Barham worked walks to load the bases with two outs in the inning. Tracy delivered her third hit of the game, scoring Prince but the inning ended as Felix was called out at home following a throw from Simon's right fielder.
 
With an 8-6 lead, Lincoln looked to close out the game in the bottom of the eighth but the Clan's offense got things started with a lead-off double. Dettling was brought into the circle for relief but the SFU offense continued to click. Taylor Lundrigan replaced Simon's runner with a double of her own trimming the lead to one. The very next batter brought Lundigran home with a single and tied the game 8-8. Dettling got out of the inning with a ground out and a fly out as the teams headed to the ninth.
 
The Yellowjacket offense was retired in order to start the ninth, opening the door for the Clan's win. Tilley led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a bunt. The SFU baserunner rounded second and was making her way to third when an MSUB throw caught her in a pickle. Cassinelli was covering third and appeared to make a diving tag on Tilley's foot as she stumbled toward second where she was called safe. Kate Fergusson singled up the middle giving SFU their game-winning ninth run of the game.
 
 Game 2 - MSU Billings 4, Simon Fraser University 1
 
Freshman Haley Couch (2-2, 3.68 ERA) entered the circle with a 3-0 lead to start Game 2 after Dettling launched a three-run home run in the top of the first inning for the Yellowjackets. The shot scored Barham and Tracy who started the game with a walk and a single respectively. The homer was Dettling's fifth of the season and third of the series after the senior had two homers in Game 1 of Saturday's action.
 
Barham's triple in the top of the second gave the 'Jackets an opportunity to extend their lead with two outs remaining in the inning but Simon's Alia Stachoski worked a ground out and a fly out to escape trailing 3-0.
 
The Yellowjackets would have another scoring opportunity in the third inning after Prince hit the first of her two doubles in the game to put Hughes on third. Stachoski again induced a ground ball to silence the threat and retire the side.
 
MSU Billings record one hit in the following three innings as both pitchers controlled the game from the circle. Couch allowed only one extra base hit in the game, a double in the seventh inning, and did not yield a single walk to the 31 batters she faced.
 
In the seventh, the 'Jackets added the final run to their tally as Prince drove home Benning with a ground-rule double. Fisher led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Benning. A single from Hughes had runners on first and second for the 'Jackets. Benning came home to score after a deep drive down the left-field line bounced over the fence off of Prince's bat.
 
Lundrigan had a softly hit fly ball down the right-field line fall between Prince and Tracy to drive in the only run for SFU in the seventh. The Clan collected three hits in the inning, the most of any frame against Couch.
 
The Yellowjackets continue Great Northwest Athletic Conference play next weekend when they visit Central Washington (6-4, 0-0 GNAC) in Ellensburg, Wash. MSUB was swept by the Wildcats last season and the season before that. In 2015, the 'Jackets took 3 of 4 games from CWU in Billings. All four games can be streamed with live stats on the MSUB Stretch Internet Portal.