FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, April 22, 2016 Seniors shine in sweep of NNU Friday
Cori Gammon and Haley Rowe combine to go 8-for-15 at the plate and Amanda Roark tosses a complete game in the circle to propel the MSUB softball team to a doubleheader sweep over NNU on Friday. BILLINGS, Mont. – Seniors Cori Gammon and Haley Rowe combined to go 8-for-15 with a home run, five runs, and two RBIs at the plate, and senior Amanda Roark threw a complete game to lift the Montana State University Billings softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Northwest Nazarene University on Friday at Avitus Group Stadium. It was the first doubleheader sweep of the year for the Yellowjackets, who rode a career-high 158 pitches in a completegame effort from sophomore Megan Dettling to a come-from-behind 8-6 win in Game 1. The ‘Jackets again rallied to win Game 2 9-7 behind Roark’s stellar outing, and the MSUB offense came alive with five home runs from five different players on the day. “I am very proud of the pitching staff today, and Amanda and Megan came out and did their job,” said MSUB head coach Rebekah Gasner. “If our offense can perform like this each time we step onto the field, our team has the ability to win a lot of games. We just need to make sure that we come out every single day like that.”
Saturday’s season finale and Senior Day ceremony has been shifted to an 11 a.m. first pitch, with the pregame ceremony set to begin at 10:45 a.m. “We want to make sure that we are honoring our seniors tomorrow and playing all-out for them,” Gasner said. “We want to end the season on a positive note, and help them end their careers on a positive note.” MSUB is now 13-35 overall and 5-21 in conference play, while NNU fell to 16-28 overall and 10-16 in GNAC games. Cameron Cassinelli and Myrissa Prince each had three-run home runs, and Nicole Tiffany, Kelsey Devlin, and Rowe added solo shots to pace the offense. Gammon had five hits and stole a base in the doubleheader. Game 1 – MSU Billings 8, Northwest Nazarene 6 Throwing errors in MSUB’s infield in the third and fourth innings supplied Northwest Nazarene with five unearned runs, as the Yellowjackets stared a 6-1 deficit in the face entering the bottom of the fourth inning. Devlin and Rowe launched back-to-back home runs to lead off the frame however, and Cassinelli added an exclamation point six runs later to give MSUB a 7-6 edge with a big rally. The lead proved to be enough to back Dettling the rest of the way, as the sophomore retired nine of the final 11 hitters she faced in the win. Katlyn Stringari also had an RBI-single in the big fourth-inning rally, and a one-out base hit by Bella Rovens plated Rowe to make it 86 in the bottom of the fifth. Dettling was one strikeout shy of her career high, as she fanned seven Crusaders. NNU managed just three hits against the right-hander, but nine walks and three hit batters drove up Dettling’s pitch count and forced her to work out of tough situations.
Sophomore Megan Dettling had a career-high 158 pitches and allowed just three hits in a complete-game victory for MSUB in Game 1 Friday.
NNU starter Brooke Bonsen gave up seven runs on 10 hits, while striking out two and walking one in four innings. Kendall Goodwin tossed the final two frames and gave up one run on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Anna Olson had the only RBI of the game for NNU, while Kylie Orr and Lisa Sylvester each scored a pair of runs.
The ‘Jackets took an early lead on a solo home run by Tiffany in the bottom of the second, but a three-run third inning put the Crusaders in front. The Crusaders played a clean game defensively with no errors, while three miscues by the ‘Jackets in the field helped keep the visiting team in the game until the end. Gammon, Rowe, and Prince all had multiple hits in the series-opener, while every player but one in MSUB’s lineup had a hit and all but two scored at least one run.
Game 2 – MSU Billings 9, Northwest Nazarene 7 Roark had one of her finest appearances of the year, surrendering just one earned run on 12 hits with two strikeouts and two walks in the complete game. Roark was at her best directly after the ‘Jackets scored, as she posted shutdown innings in three of the four occasions directly following runs by the offense. MSUB was again the first to strike at the plate, as an RBI-single by Heather Tracy brought home Rovens in the bottom of the first inning. The Crusaders nearly evened the score in the top of the second, when Sylvester led off with a double and Thome punched a base hit into center field. Rovens came through the ball and fired home in one motion, nailing Sylvester at the plate to keep the 1-0 lead intact for the time being. Tiffany had an RBI-base hit to make it 2-1 in the third, but Goodwin and Abigail Watkins combined to limit the ‘Jackets to just two runs through the first four innings.
Senior Amanda Roark allowed just one earned run and helped MSUB complete a doubleheader sweep with a complete-game effort in Game 2 Friday.
Tracy followed Rovens’ lead with another spectacular play from the outfield to end the fourth inning. Running down a base hit into the gap off the bat of Madalyn Smith, Tracy fired a throw from the fence to Stringari at second base that just beat Smith trying for an extra base. A three-run home run by Sylvester broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth inning, as the ‘Jackets found themselves in a significant
deficit for the second straight game. MSUB responded immediately however, matching NNU’s four-run fifth inning with four of their own in the bottom of the frame. Rowe plated the first run with a bases-loaded ground out, and Prince drove the first pitch from Watkins over the fence in straightaway center field to push her team in front 6-5. Tiffany drew a bases-loaded walk and Devlin ripped a two-run single in the sixth, as MSUB provided Roark with a fourrun cushion late in the game. Hustling around third on Devlin’s single, Cassinelli used a crafty hook slide to barely beat the throw to the plate from left field as she helped complete the rally. NNU loaded the bases to start the seventh, and scored on an RBI ground out by Morgan Thome and a fielding error by MSUB. But Devlin cleanly handled the final out of the day, firing a strike from third base and ending MSUB’s third win in its last four games. THE BUZZ: Roark was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…the complete game was the ninth of Dettling’s career…with two stolen bases Tracy is now tied for sixth on the MSUB career list with 26 in her two seasons…Rovens had three hits on the day to push her career total to 158, which is tied for eighth-most in program
history…the two wins marked the third time this year the ‘Jackets have won back-to-back games…MSUB totaled 26 hits in the doubleheader, with a baker’s dozen in each game. NEXT UP: The 2016 season concludes on Saturday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Avitus Group Stadium against the Crusaders. Rowe, Roark, and Gammon will be honored in a pregame ceremony beginning at 10:45 a.m., and live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.
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