IRVINE, Calif. — The Montana State University softball team had two big swings from Sidney Pollard and Alexis Tovar in its doubleheader agaisnt No. 10 Concordia Irvine, yet the Eagles swept the 'Jackets 5-1, 10-2 on Tuesday.
 
"Coming in and playing a team ranked as high as Concordia Irvine is always great for us," MSUB head coach Lisa McKinney said. "It's always great competition, and it always shows us what the postseason will look like with what teams we might face."
 
The Yellowjackets (2-5) got all of their offense from a pair of fourth-inning homers against the Eagles (7-0). Pollard's solo home run to left field in the fourth inning of game one, then Tovar's two-run homer in right-center field gave MSUB its offense in game two. Yet five errors in the series — including four in the second game — hindered MSUB from pulling an upset.
 
"I thought we really played well in game one — they just out-hit us — and we played really great defense and had some solid hits," McKinney said. "In game two, I thought we continued with our good hitting, but unfortunately we had some more errors and miscues than what we needed to have."
 
"Overall, I'm pretty pleased and I think the aggressiveness of the Eagles was good practice for our conference games as well," McKinney added.
 
Aside from the two home runs from Pollard and Tovar, Skyler Jenkins was one of the Yellowjackets' most effective hitters in the series. The senior catcher finished 3-for-3 in the first game, then reached on a bunt in the third inning of game two.
 
"She's been hitting the ball really well," McKinney said. "She had one of our first hits on this long road trip, so it was great to see her have more success at the plate. I think she's done a great job of finding a way to battle. In the second game, I thought she did a great job of keeping Concordia Irvine off-balance by putting down a bunt. It was great to see her use a little bit of her speed too."
 
QUICK HITS

• Freshman right fielder Alexis Tovar was named the St. Vincent Player of the Day for her first collegiate home run during the second game of the doubleheader. Tovar finished 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs in game two, and was the starting right fielder in both games.
• Sidney Pollard's home run in the top of the third inning of the first game was her first of the season and the third of her career. Pollard also drew two walks in the series.
• Aside from Pollard and Jenkins, Brittanee Fisher was the only 'Jacket to reach base in both games. She drew a walk in the first game, then singled and eventually stole second in game two.
• Tuesday's series against the Eagles was MSUB's first games against a top-10 team since playing No. 6 UCSD on Feb. 2, 2020.

 
Game 1: #10 Concordia Irvine 5, MSUB 1
 
After MSUB went down in order to start the game, Starting in her second game of the season, Alyssa Etheridge saw some difficulties in the bottom of the first, as she faced seven Concordia Irvine batters in the one-run inning. Marin Penney helped get the 'Jackets out of trouble to end the first inning, tagging out Sydney Sprinkle in a rundown between third base and home after the Eagles put runners on second and third.
 
The Eagles would put one more run on the board in the bottom of the second with a two-out walk, then Megan Massa's RBI double after an eight-pitch at-bat. Yet the Eagles stranded two runners in scoring position and took a 2-0 lead going into the third.
 
The MSUB bats woke up in the third by putting two runners in scoring position. Brittanee Fisher hit a leadoff single, then Allie Hughes' sacrifice bunt moved Fisher to second. Jenkins singled, then advanced to second base after an error from Concordia's centerfielder, yet the next two 'Jacket batters were retired on five pitches. 
 
Thankfully for the 'Jackets, Etheridge and the defense came back after a stolen base and a wild pitch advanced Missy Nemeth all the way to third. This time, Etheridge won a seven-pitch at bat with Rylie Rohr, then a flyout gave her the first scoreless inning of the afternoon.
 
Leading off the top of the fourth, Pollard came through after a six-pitch battle in which she fouled off three different pitches. The seventh pitch was the one she wanted: Pollard crushed a home run to left field, firing up the 'Jacket dugout and bringing MSUB within striking distance of the Eagles.
 
"Sidney Pollard has been hot for a while now and swinging the bat really well," McKinney said. "I thought she was hitting well, was doing a great job putting the barrel to the ball and seeing her put one over the fence was great to see."
 
Although Pollard's homer was the only damage done in the fourth, she helped the 'Jackets with her defense in the next half-inning. With one out in a 2-1 game, Pollard's throw was beat Concordia's Kendall Flatt to first base, firing up the MSUB infield and helping Etheridge get through another scoreless inning.
 
In the top of the fifth, Jenkins doubled to left field for her second time on base in the game, yet she was MSUB's only baserunner. The bottom of the fifth was the Yellowjackets' undoing: An error, a wild pitch and five hits amounted to a three-run inning for the Eagles, giving them a 5-1 lead.
 
MSUB countered with a sixth inning that involved Pollard getting on base with a one-out walk, stealing second base, then advancing to third on a wild pitch. Penney's two-out walk had Concordia reliever Madison Urrutia cornered, but the 'Jackets were unable to capitalize.
 
Qualteri kept MSUB in the game with three strikeouts and getting out of a bases-loaded predicament in the bottom of the sixth. Down to their final three outs, Fisher drew a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh, then pinch-runner Claire Bagnell advanced to third on Jenkins' second double. Yet that would be all for the 'Jackets in game one of the doubleheader. 
 
Etheridge (0-2) was credited with the loss, striking out one batter, walking three and allowing five runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Julia Qualteri relieved her in the fifth inning; she struck out three of the nine batters she faced, allowed two hits and no runs while walking two batters. Concordia's Erika Morris earned the win by striking out two batters, walking none and giving up only Pollard's home run in five innings of work.
 
Game 2: #10 Concordia Irvine 10, MSUB 2 (5 innings)
 
After getting through the first inning with a pair of strikeouts and yielding only one run, a five-run second inning from the Eagles ended starter Shelby Martin's day prematurely. Jenna Kister came in to relieve Martin with two away in the second inning, and she recorded the first of her three strikeouts to end the inning.
 
MSUB got its first baserunner on in the second inning, as Fisher singled to left field on the fifth pitch of her at-bat. She then stole second when Allie Hughes was up to bat, yet that was as far as she went. Jenkins was the Yellowjackets' lone baserunner in the top of the third after laying down a bunt and outrunning the tag.
 
The bottom of the third inning saw Kister record her second strikeout on four pitches before Concordia Irvine took advantage of more MSUB miscues. Two more errors led to another run for the Eagles before two-straight loud outs ended the one-run inning for Concordia Irvine.
 
Staring at a 7-0 deficit, the 'Jackets rallied in the top of the fourth. With one out, Jazlyn Kalehuawehe singled, bringing up the lefty Tovar to the plate. The freshman fell behind 0-2, yet the third pitch of the at-bat was a no-doubter. Tovar's swing to right field brought in pinchrunner Claire Bagnell and gave the 'Jackets second life.
 
"She's been battling really hard and finding a way to continue long at-bats," McKinney said. "She just hasn't quite gotten the hit that she wanted until today."
 
Yet the Eagles would take back those two runs and then some in the next half-inning. Concordia Irvine second baseman Sydney Sprinkle's solo home run to lead off the inning snowballed into a three-run frame for the Eagles, giving them a 10-2 run and threatening the run-rule. With one last chance, the 'Jackets went down in order in the top of the fifth.
 
Martin (0-1) was credited with the loss, giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits in 1.2 innings pitched. Concordia Irvine starter Kaitlin Entrup earned the win by striking out four batters, giving up two earned runs and three hits in four innings of work.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB travels to Tucson, Ariz. to host the 12th-annual Desert Stinger, and will take on the Washburn Ichabods in the first game on Friday at noon. Livestream and live links can be found at the softball team's schedule page on msubsports.com.