MISSOULA, Mont. – Playing in its final home series five hours away at the University of Montana's Grizzly Softball Field, the Montana State University Billings softball team took two tough losses to the Saint Martin's Saints on Thursday.
 
After getting shut out 5-0 in game one, the Yellowjackets (11-30, 4-14 GNAC) rallied off three home runs and four bunts in game two to take an 8-6 lead heading into the seventh inning of game two. Yet the Saints (22-14, 11-3 GNAC) plated three runs in the top of the seventh and MSUB stranded two baserunners in the bottom of the inning in a 9-8 loss.
 
"I thought the offense did a great job of coming out and attacking in game two," MSUB head coach Lisa McKinney said. "I thought in game one, we were maybe a little too aggressive in chasing pitches out of the zone and not putting balls in play. In game two, I thought we made the Saint Martin's defense work more, and we found a way to put more balls in play."
 
Senior Skyler Jenkins had her second multi-home run game of her career in game two, hitting the scoreboard in left-center field for her solo home run in the third inning before clearing the center-field fence for a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Pinch-hitter Shelby Martin hit a go-ahead two-run home run three batters later that gave the Yellowjackets their first lead of the series.
 
The series continues in Missoula tomorrow, starting at noon. Senior Day festivities to honor Brittanee Fisher, Allie Hughes, Skyler Jenkins, Sydney Norwood, Sidney Pollard and Morgan Quimby will occur in between games.
 
QUICK HITS

• Senior Skyler Jenkins was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day for going 4-for-8 across both games with two runs, 3 RBIs and two home runs in game two. Jenkins ranks 20^th in MSUB history with 16 career home runs.
• Freshman Lauren Blaschak also recorded hits in both games, going 3-for-7.
• Sophomore Payton Meyer went 2-for-3 with an RBI for her second multi-hit game of her career in game two.
• Marin Penney went 2-for-4 in game two and scored a run while playing solid defense at third base.
• Shelby Martin's pinch-hit, two-run home run in the sixth inning of game two was her second homer in as many weeks. She finished 1-for-1 with 2 RBIs.

 
Game 1: Saint Martin's 5, MSUB 0
 
Starting MSUB pitcher Jenna Kister and the Yellowjackets successfully navigated through light trouble in the first two innings, as the Saints would strand two baserunners in the first two innings. Catcher Maycen O'Neal gave MSUB an early defensive highlight when she and Lauren Blaschak caught a Saints baserunner trying to steal second, yet MSUB went down in order for the first three innings on offense.
 
Saint Martin's took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third by taking advantage of an MSUB fielding error; the score would hold for the next four innings.
 
Blaschak's bloop single into shallow right-center field broke up reigning GNAC Pitcher of the Week Tia Ridings' no-hit bid in the fourth inning, then fellow freshman Jazlyn Kalehuawehe's single to left center field would put two runners aboard with two outs. The 'Jacket offense wouldn't get another runner in scoring position until Skyler Jenkins' one-out double to the center field fence in the sixth inning.
 
However, Kister would keep the 'Jackets within striking distance with back-to-back 1-2-3 frames in the fourth and fifth innings. needing only eight pitches to get out of the fourth and seven in the fifth to retire the side.
 
"Jenna has really flipped a switch recently," McKinney said. "She's come out and thrown really well for us, she's continued to get good results and she keeps us in ballgames. I thought she pitched really well in game one; she really gave us a chance to win that game. I thought she pitched really well and trusted her defense behind her to make plays."
 
Saint Martin's threatened to add on to the lead with a leadoff double in the sixth, yet two infield pop-ups and a long out to left field helped MSUB momentarily avoid disaster. Saint Martin's would
 
Kister (2-8) would end up taking the loss in her fifth complete game of the season, in which she struck out three batters and only fave up four earned runs on seven hits. Ridings would move to 8-6 on the year with her 13-strikeout complete game.
 
Game 2: Saint Martin's 9, MSUB 8
 
Staring at an early 4-0 deficit with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, the Yellowjackets needed something on offense to salvage the opening day of the series.
 
Then with senior Skyler Jenkins at the plate, the 'Jackets began gradually chipping away at Saint Martin's lead. With a 0-2 count, Jenkins sent the third pitch of her at-bat rocketing towards the left-center field fence and off the scoreboard.
 
"I think Skyler has done a great job of being aggressive over the last few weeks," McKinney said. "When she sees a pitch she likes, she's attacking it and attacking it hard. She has had a lot of missed hits or balls gone right to people, but she's finally found some holes in the defense and has had a breakthrough. She's done a really great job of getting the barrel to the ball – especially in the leadoff spot for us."
 
Jenkins' fifth home run of the year wasn't all the hitting in the inning – MSUB would get two more baserunners on Brie Frazier drawing a walk after an eight pitch at-bat, then Lauren Blaschak singled – and although both runners wouldn't make it home, the Saint Martin's pitching staff looked mortal from that point forward.
 
Despite a costly error in the top of the fourth that set MSUB back by four runs once again, a six-hit fourth inning bolstered by a bevy of bunts got the Yellowjackets back in the game. Marin Penney got the rally going with a leadoff double, then senior Sydney Norwood traded places with Norwood two batters later with a long hit to the right field corner that made the score 5-2.
 
"I thought Norwood did a great job of going with the outside pitch," McKinney said. "Marin did a great job of leading off the inning with a double, then Norwood did a great job of going with the pitch. I also thought she did a great job of reading the throw and getting us another runner in scoring position. That was really big. She's always been a really smart baserunner for us, and that was a big play for us."
 
Then the 'Jackets put on a bunting clinic.
 
Morgan Quimby's bunt fell fair along the third-base side, cornering Saint Martin's pitcher Abby Runyon with two outs. Payton Meyer came through with a high-arcing bunt behind the pitcher and out of reach near the pitching circle, which brought Norwood home. Jenkins brought up the top of the order, worked a 1-2 count and laid down a third-straight squeeze bunt that loaded the bases. Frazier showed bunt on the first pitch, laying down a slow-rolling bunt on the right side of home plate, scoring Quimby.
 
Unbelievably, MSUB laid down four-straight bunts to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
 
"I'm really proud of the girls – they're actually the ones who made the adjustments," McKinney said. "On all but one of those bunts, they bunted on their own, which was great to see them step up there and find a way on. I think we were struggling before that, and to get some bunts and make their defense make some plays spoke a lot about the girls. I thought the did a pretty good job of putting the ball down in the middle of the field and making their defenders communicate – especially Brie. She had a few great bunts."
 
With momentum in the Yellowjackets' favor, reliever Julia Qualteri and the defense put together a quick inning in the top of the fifth. Qualteri, whose day started in relief of Alyssa Etheridge at the beginning of the third inning, retired the first batter, recorded her second strikeout of the day, then fielded a comebacker on the next at-bat to retire the side.
 
"I thought Julia came in and pitched well," McKinney said. "She got us some good results and made our defense make plays. I thought the walks in game one and early in game two hurt us, but Julia did a great job of making Saint Martin's earn their way on base."
 
The Saints threatened to pull away in the top of the sixth with Malia Pinder's two-out RBI double to deep center field, yet a pop-up to Kilee Imada ended the inning with another SMU baserunner stranded.
 
With one out the bottom of the sixth, Sidney Pollard drew a critical four-pitch walk in her pinch-hitting appearance, bringing up Jenkins to the plate. Like she did in her first at-bat, she stayed locked in after falling behind in the count, then crushed a home run to the furthest part of the park in center field to tie the game at six-all.
 
The tie was short-lived. Frazier got aboard on a bunt that Saint Martin's defense didn't attempt a throw on, then Shelby Martin made the most of her pinch-hitting appearance. Martin worked a full count, fouled off another pitch, then hit a two-run blast to left field to put MSUB up 8-6.
 
"Shelby has done a good job of coming in and getting big hits when we need them," McKinney said. "Over the past few weeks, she's been really strong at the plate for us. I thought she did a great job of getting that inside pitch and going with the wind. She had a really good at-bat and she did what we needed her to do in that situation."
 
The tide turned in the seventh. The Saints' batters tied the game off an error and a pair of hits to the right field corner, then a long go-ahead double from Shay Lopes gave them a 9-8 lead.
 
Down to their final three outs, the Yellowjackets got two baserunners aboard off near-identical singles into shallow left field from Quimby and Meyer. Quimby would make it to third on a sacrifice fly, yet the 'Jackets couldn't bring her home.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB wraps up senior weekend against Saint Martin's with a doubleheader at Grizzly Softball Field, starting at 12 p.m. The six seniors will be honored in between the games of the doubleheader. Livestream and live stat links can be found on the softball team's schedule page at msubsports.com.