BILLINGS, Mont. – Kicking off its final series of the regular season at home, the Montana State University Billings softball team split the opening doubleheader against Simon Fraser University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
The Yellowjackets (17-27, 9-13 GNAC) hit three home runs in each game against the Red Leafs (10-35, 4-18 GNAC). It would be all the Yellowjackets needed in game one, where they held Simon Fraser scoreless in a 3-0 victory. The Red Leafs would turn things around in game two however, taking an 11-7 victory to finish the day.
 
"I was pleased with how we played, especially in game one," said Yellowjackets head coach Lisa McKinney. "We made a lot of good contact today in both games and played excellently in all aspects in game one. A few things we need to clean up in game two though."
 
Game 1: MSUB 3, SFU 0
 
The Yellowjackets picked up just five hits in game one, while Simon Fraser picked up four. The difference came from the power of the Yellowjackets, who hit solo home runs in three of those hits. Payton Meyer and Maycen O'Neal hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the third inning, and Marin Penney followed that up with a home run of her own in the fourth, the 12^th of the season for her. Alyssa Etheridge completed the shutout, allowing four hits, only one of which went for extra bases, and striking out seven Red Leafs on the way to collecting her 12^th victory of the year. The 'Jackets held Simon Fraser, the GNAC's top team in steals to no stolen bases in the game, with O'Neal throwing out one SFU baserunner from behind the plate.
 
"Alyssa pitched excellent, and our defense backed her up well to hold SFU scoreless," said McKinney. "Their a solid hitting team, and we threw them off their rhythm. Maycen had two huge plays in the field for us, throwing out a baserunner and picking up a double play on a pop fly behind the plate. Add in her home run, along with Payton and Marin, and we did just enough to get it done."
 
Penney went 1-3 in the game, while Meyer and O'Neal were 1-2, each with a run and an RBI. Jazlyn Kalehuawehe and Shelby Martin also went 1-3 in the game.
 
Game 2: MSUB 7, SFU 11
 
In contrast to the opening game, the offense came up big for Simon Fraser early in game two. An RBI double from Janique Balcaen put the Red Leafs up 1-0 in the top of the first. The Yellowjackets would momentarily take the lead after Teagan Seeton hit a two-run blast to in just the second MSUB at bat of the game, but the Red Leafs responded strong with four runs in the second inning, going up 5-2. And after Kristen Davyduke and Marin Penney traded solo home runs in the third inning, Simon Fraser would plate two more runs in the top of the fifth to bring an 8-3 lead into the sixth inning.
 
The Yellowjackets would show the beginnings of a comeback in the sixth inning, with Lauren Blaschak plating two runs on a single before Shelby Martin would score her on a two-run homer, putting the hosts down by just one run. But Simon Fraser would undo that work, scoring three more runs in the top of the seventh, and holding off MSUB in the bottom frame to earn the 11-7 victory.
 
"I thought we hit the ball even better in game two," McKinney said. "Our offensive attack was more well-rounded, and we had more players get involved. We made a few too many defensive errors though, and that cost us a chance of winning."
 
Blaschak went 3-4 in the leadoff spot, with two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Martin went 2-4 with two RBIs and a run, while Kilee Imada and Shelby Marquardt each picked up a pair of hits as well. Seeton was 1-4 with two RBIs and a run, and Penney was 1-3 with an RBI and a run. Julia Qualteri was charged with the loss, allowing nine runs (six earned) and ten hits, striking out five batters.
 
THE BUZZ: Etheridge was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day… Heading into the final two games of the regular season tomorrow, the Yellowjackets at 9-13, and need to win both games to have a shot at qualifying for the GNAC Championships.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB finishes its regular season with two more games tomorrow, April 30, against Simon Fraser at Avitus Group Stadium. The opening game is scheduled to begin at 12 PM, with the Yellowjacket's five seniors set to be honored 20 minutes prior to game time. Live video will be available here, while live statistics will be available here.