WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Montana State University Billings softball team added a pair of wins to their season tally Monday, opening the week with victories over California University of Pennsylvania, and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
 
The Yellowjackets (6-11-1) opened the day by handing the Vulcans (0-1) defeat, finishing with a 6-2 victory before taking down the Fighting Scots (1-3) by a scoreline of 8-4. Both teams challenged the Yellowjackets with competitive games, but MSUB performed in the clutch in both games, ensuring the wins with big hits and limiting baserunners in the late innings.
 
Game One: MSUB 6, California (PA) 2
 
The 'Jackets got the scoring started in the second inning when Teagan Seeton sent a home run out to dead centerfield, giving MSUB the early lead. But The Vulcans would respond strongly, taking advantage of some miscues in the field to take a 2-1 lead in the third inning. The Yellowjackets would regroup and recover to finish strong down the stretch though, taking the lead back in the fifth inning when Alexis Tovar went deep on a two-run home run, and would tack on three runs in the following inning, via a wild pitch and a two-run single from Kilee Imada. Caitlyn James finished the game strong in the circle, allowing just three runners to reach base over the final four innings to help see out a win in game one.
 
"Caitlyn pitched another great game for us," said MSUB head coach Lisa McKinney. "We made a couple of early mistakes on defense, but we did a great job cleaning things up during the game. Lauren (Blaschak) came up with some big-time backhand plays on defense. Offensively it took us a little bit to get going, but I though we came on strong at the end."
 
James finished with the complete game win for the Yellowjackets, allowing two runs (one earned) and five hits, striking out three batters. Tovar finished 2-3 for the 'Jackets, totaling a run and two RBIs, while Imada was 1-3 with her two RBIs. Seeton finished 3-3, reaching base in each of her plate appearances and grabbing two runs and an RBI. Lauren Blaschak and Marin Penney batted 1-3, while Kaylin Galvin batted 1-2 with two walks, a run, and a stolen base. Riley Warden scored two runs and batted 2-4.
 
Game Two: MSUB 8, Edinboro (PA) 4
 
MSUB wasted no time in getting going on offense, plating five runs in the top of the first inning. The 'Jackets created chaos on the basepaths with their willingness to steal, stealing three bases in the opening frame and getting runners in scoring position. They would add one more run in the second to take a convincing 6-0 lead early. The Scots would respond with four runs over the middle four innings of play to close the gap, but James would enter for the second time on the day to help lock down the game late once more, while a second home run on the day by Teagan Seeton pushed the lead to 8-4 in the seventh inning, helping MSUB build a comfortable gap before finishing with their second win of the day.
 
"We came out strong right away in game two, and ended strong as well," said McKinney. "Both Shelby and Caitlyn combined to pitch a really good game for us. I'm proud of this team, and we're very happy to finish the day with a sweep. We're looking forward to taking this momentum forward into our final day of games in Florida tomorrow."
 
Shelby Wasilewski started the game for the Yellowjackets, pitching the first 3.1 innings, allowing three runs and striking out one. She was replaced by James, who allowed no hits and one unearned run in the final 3.2 innings of play. Marin Penney hit 2-4 with a run and an RBI. She was one of five 'Jackets to finish with a steal, including Riley Warden, Claire Bagnell, Lauren Blaschak, and Teagan Seeton. Blaschak finished 1-4 with a run, while Imada went 1-3 with two runs and a walk, and Kaylin Galvin went 1-4. Warden had a pair of walks and runs.
 
THE BUZZ: Tovar was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game in game one, while James was selected in game two… The Yellowjackets have now totaled 34 steals on the year, already surpassing their total of 30 from the previous season… MSUB is batting .311 overall on the season with seven players holding an average above .300, with Tovar holding a batting average of .400 through 18 games.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets finish their Florida road trip, and complete their final two games before the opening of GNAC play Tuesday, March 5, facing off against St. Cloud State at 10:15 PM ET (8:15 AM MT), before taking on Concordia University St. Paul at 12:15 PM ET (10:15 AM MT). Live video can be found online here, while live stats for game two are available online here.