‘Jacket softball opens GNAC play with split at WWU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, March 4, 2017 ‘Jacket softball opens GNAC play with split at WWU

Maddy Lincoln throws her third straight complete game to help MSUB to a 7-6 win in Game 1, but WWU’s Anna Kasner strikes out 11 in a 5-inning one-hitter to silence MSUB in a 9-0 loss in Game 2.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Freshman Maddy Lincoln tossed her third straight complete game to help the Montana State University Billings softball team split a doubleheader at Western Washington University in the first games of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season at Viking Field on Saturday.

The ‘Jackets held on for a narrow, 7-6 victory in Game 1, but were silenced by an 11-strikeout, one-hit shutout in five innings by WWU’s Anna Kasner as the Vikings rolled to a 9-0 win in Game 2.

“Overall it was a good day, especially with us coming out and getting a win at WWU,” said MSUB head coach Jessica Rayman. “We would have liked to have competed better in the second game, but we did a good job starting conference play well. We came out strong in the first game and had a lot of confidence.”

Heather Tracy went 5-for-6, including 4-for-4 in Game 1, and drove in two runs to lead MSUB at the plate. Tracy had the lone hit for MSUB in the Game 2 loss. Senior Kelsey Devlin hit her fourth home run of the year and 23rd of her career in Game 1, while WWU’s Emily Benson delivered the big swing of the bat in Game 2 with a grand slam in a six-run second inning.

“Heather has been really consistent all year, and is definitely a tone-setter offensively,” Rayman said. “She is good at getting things started, and she’s a triple threat at the plate.”

The ‘Jackets moved to 5-10 on the year and 1-1 in the GNAC with the split, while WWU is now 8-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Game 1 – MSU Billings 7, Western Washington 6 Nicole Tiffany wrapped up her first career start at third base by making the final play of the game, in a contest where the ‘Jackets were stellar overall defensively. It was a dramatic finish with the tying run in scoring position, as Mackenzie Hughes had doubled home Emily Benson to make the score 76 earlier in the bottom of the seventh.

Jessica Bagnell made six plays at shortstop, and Myrissa Prince added four at second base to back another complete game by Lincoln. The freshman allowed only three earned runs, while striking out one and walking four. “Maddy threw awesome, and was consistent all game,” Rayman commented on her freshman lefty. “She found a way to work around the middle of their lineup, and she is getting smarter with every game she throws and every opportunity she gets.”

Prince started a rally by leading off the second inning with a single, and Bagnell drew a walk to put two ‘Jackets on base for the bottom of the order. Amanda Barham, the team’s ninthplace hitter in Game 1, came through with a clutch, two-out, two-run double to right center that gave MSUB a 2-0 advantage.

Sophomore Jessica Bagnell tied a career high with six assists in Game 1 Saturday.

Lincoln relied on solid defense to help her out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the second, as she posted a shutdown inning after MSUB had taken the lead. Bagnell smothered a ground ball and threw out the runner at home, and Tiffany made up for an error by snagging two sharp line drives at third as WWU threatened but could not score.

“Jess has been outstanding at shortstop, and is confident in the infield for us,” Rayman commented. “For Nikki to step in and get it done at third was big too. She got a lot of action, and she handled it and played really well over there for us.”

The Vikings displayed their own defensive excellence in the third, erasing a leadoff single by Tracy with a 4-6-3 double play behind Makinlee Sellevold.

A leadoff walk issued to Benson to start the fourth signaled trouble for Lincoln, as Paityn Cyr followed with a single and Kali Patterson drove in the host’s first run of the day with a double to left. McKenna Mathis provided a two-out base hit to plate Cyr, evening the score at 2-2.

The ‘Jackets wasted no time in regaining the lead however, as a one-out triple by Tracy scored Bella Rovens, and Kelsey Devlin followed with a two-run home run to make the score 5-2.

Lincoln used her own glove work to get out of an early jam in the top of the fifth, snagging a line drive off the bat of Benson and tossing the ball to Cameron Cassinelli to double off the runner at first.

Walks again hurt Lincoln in the sixth, as she issued back-to-back free passes with two outs. Another fielding error plated one run and extended the inning, and the Vikings executed a double steal of home. Mackenzie Palmer capped off the rally with an RBI-double to left center, making the score 6-5.

It took a full-speed, over-the-shoulder catch by WWU leftfielder Jackie Lucido to rob Barham of what would have been another run-scoring hit in the top of the seventh. Instead, MSUB settled for a single run thanks to a Viking fielding error, and turned to Lincoln to finish WWU off.

Tracy finished 4-for-4 to lead the ‘Jackets, while Palmer and Cyr each had a pair of hits for the Vikings. WWU’s Sellevold also pitched a complete game, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Game 2 – Western Washington 9, MSU Billings 0 Kasner struck out every hitter in MSUB’s lineup except for Tracy, allowing only the junior’s single in the first and a hit batter in the seventh her dominant performance.

The Vikings took advantage of four walks and a hit batter in their six-run second inning, and Shearyna Labasan and Palmer each had RBIs before Benson’s bases-clearing blast over the left-field fence.

WWU added another run in the third on an MSUB error, and two more in the fourth on a double by Cyr and a sacrifice fly by Hughes.

Kasner meanwhile had a string of eight straight strikeouts, and retired 11 straight batters starting in the second and into the fifth inning.

MSUB pitcher Megan Dettling had a pair of strikeouts, and allowed nine runs on seven hits with six walks in four innings.

THE BUZZ: Tracy was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…the triple was the fifth of Tracy’s career, moving her into a tie for second place in MSUB history…it was her fourth 4-hit game…Devlin’s home run was the 23rd of her career, moving her into a tie for fifth-most all-time at MSUB…Rovens moved to No. 2 in MSUB history with her 31st stolen base in Game 1…MSUB is now 37-28 all-time against WWU and is 15-12 in Bellingham.

NEXT UP: The series concludes on Sunday, with another doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Mountain time. Live video and live statistics will be available online through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

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