FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Sunday, March 5, 2017 Dettling’s big outing helps MSUB softball split at WWU Sunday
MSUB has a short memory after losing Game 1 5-0 Sunday, as the ‘Jackets come back to hand WWU a 7-4 loss in Game 2 and salvage a series split over the weekend in Bellingham. BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Megan Dettling dug deep to finish what she started in Game 2, as the Montana State University Billings softball team withstood a seventh-inning rally by Western Washington University and won 7-4 to salvage a doubleheader-split in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Viking Field on Sunday. Dettling tossed a complete game in the circle, and drove in a pair of runs at the plate, helping the Yellowjackets respond from a 5-0 loss in Game 1 at the hands of WWU pitcher Anna Kasner. The freshman right-hander for the Vikings pitched a three-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts, after silencing MSUB in a one-hit shutout on Saturday. MSUB moved to 6-11 with the split on Sunday, while WWU went to 9-5 overall. Both teams are 2-2 in league play with the split in the four-game series.
“To come back in game two, score in the first inning, and set the tone, was huge,” said MSUB head coach Jessica Rayman. “Meg on the mound was confident in her defense and herself, and that was big for us today. She allowed our defense to trust her and play behind her, and we did a good job of making all the plays that needed to be made.” Heather Tracy led MSUB by going 5-for-7 in the doubleheader, and is now batting .516 (33-for-64) through her first 17 games of the year. Cameron Cassinelli also had three hits Sunday, all coming in Game 2 as she doubled twice and drove in three runs. Game 1 – Western Washington 5, MSU Billings 0 Anna Kasner replicated her shutout performance from Saturday, striking out 12 ‘Jackets and allowing just three hits and three walks in another complete-game effort. Tracy went 2-for-3 for MSUB, and Myrissa Prince had the Yellowjackets’ other hit in the loss. Freshman left-hander Maddy Lincoln pitched her fourth straight complete game, allowing five runs on eight hits with three walks on 110 pitches in six innings. The first seven outs Kasner recorded were all strikeouts, as she kept MSUB off balance and off the bases throughout the game. MSUB didn’t Bella Rovens went 2-for-4 in Game 2, and stole the 32nd base of her career to move her to No. 2 in MSUB history. advance a runner past second until the top of the sixth inning, when a fielding error by WWU loaded the bases with one out. WWU’s righthander wasn’t phased however, as she ended the Yellowjackets’ best scoring chance of the game with a strikeout and a groundout. “Don’t take anything away from Kasner, as she is a really good freshman pitcher,” Rayman said. “We struggled making an adjustment against her. We had the bases loaded, but it was too late by then.” The Vikings jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, as Emily Benson and Paityn Cyr each had run-scoring singles. Jackie Lucido supplied a two-run double in the bottom of the second, after Kali Patterson singled and Mackenzie Hughes was hit by a pitch. Lincoln focused to retire the next three hitters she faced, stranding Lucido in scoring position at third. WWU’s third and final run came in the third inning, when Hughes plated Cyr with an infield single with two outs. Kasner finished the game by retiring the side in order in the seventh, shutting out the Yellowjackets for the second straight day. Cyr and Patterson each had a pair of hits for WWU, which drew three walks and did not strike out in 26 at bats as a team. Similar to Saturday’s loss to Kasner and the Vikings, Tracy was the only starter in the lineup who did not strike out. Game 2 – MSU Billings 7, Western Washington 4 The Vikings brought the series to a dramatic finish, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Benson plated the first run with an RBI-single, and Cyr followed with a two-run base hit to bring the tying run to the plate.
Dettling coaxed a harmless popup off the bat of Patterson however, ending the threat and sending the ‘Jackets off with a split in the series. The righthander struck out five and walked three, allowing four runs on nine hits and throwing 123 pitches in her fifth complete game of the year. Bella Rovens led off the game with a single up the middle, stole second, and came around to score on an ensuing base hit by Tracy. The senior center fielder then showed off the leather in the second inning, making a diving catch to rob Cyr of a leadoff single. Dettling worked around walks in the first two innings, and didn’t allow a hit until Mathis’s single to start the third. By then, the junior right-hander had helped herself out by ripping an RBI-double into left-center in her turn to bat in the top of the frame. Cameron Cassinelli followed with an RBIdouble of her own, as the ‘Jackets built a 3-0 lead. “She does a lot for us offensively and pitching,” Rayman commented on Dettling. “She stepped up huge as a leader offensively when we threw her into the fourth spot, and she took that pressure and ran with it.”
Myrissa Prince made 14 plays at second base on Sunday, leading MSUB on a solid day defensively overall.
The third could have been a much bigger inning for the ‘Jackets, if not for perhaps the defensive play of the series by Lucido in left field. The freshman scaled the wall in foul territory down the line, and reached over the fence to snag a popup by Amanda Barham and prevent a leadoff baserunner.
Madison Kelly helped erase Mathis after her hit, throwing out the Vikings’ No. 9 hitter in a stolen base attempt. MSUB struck again in the top of the fifth inning, with Dettling and Cassinelli each picking up another RBI. Dettling lifted a fly ball to right deep enough to bring home Tracy from third, and Cassinelli rolled a single into center field to plate Kelsey Devlin and make it 6-0. WWU finally broke through in the bottom of the frame, as Mathis ended Dettling’s shutout bid with a run-scoring double down the line in right field. Dettling limited the damage however, with a pair of groundouts and a key strikeout with runners on the corners. Leading MSUB defensively with 14 plays in the doubleheader, Prince made a smooth sliding stop on a ground ball to her left to help Dettling out in the sixth inning. “She gets overlooked a bit, but she has been consistent and I can’t ask for much more from her,” Rayman commented on the junior. “She is stopping balls not everyone can get to, and she is quick to get rid of it. She has been great as a leader, and I am proud of her for that.” Nicole Tiffany tacked on another run with an RBI-single in the top of the seventh, bringing Cassinelli home after a double. Cassinelli and Tracy each went 3-for-4 in the game, and the ‘Jackets played error-free defense. “We are definitely excited to get a split with WWU, and to come out and get two wins after three weeks off is encouraging,” Rayman said. “Now we have to get ready for Concordia, and continue to grow and get better. This team continues to fight, and we are expecting a lot more good things by the end of the week.”
THE BUZZ: Dettling was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Tracy’s hitting streak reached 17 with hits in both games…Cassinelli moved into 10th place all-time at MSUB in putouts with 364 and eighth in RBIs with 89 in her career…Rovens assumed sole possession of second place in MSUB history with 32 steals, and is three away from tying the all-time mark of 35 held by Jessica Frank…Emma Tucker had her first-career at-bat in Game 2, as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning…the Yellowjackets moved to 38-29 all-time against WWU with the split, and MSUB is 16-13 in games at Bellingham. AHEAD: The road trip continues for MSUB, with a quick turn-around coming up this week. The ‘Jackets face Concordia in doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday in Portland, Ore., at Porter Park. Both twin bills are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Mountain time, and live video and live statistics will be available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--