Montana Sneaks Past Memphis Softball, 4-3

Saturday, February 20

Tempe, Ariz.

12:15 p.m.

University of Memphis

1-7

Montana

5-3

Montana

MEMPHIS

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Feb 20, 2016 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Michigan State picks up second win in a week over Memphis.

By: Tammy DeGroff

MEMPHIS – With the game tied at 3-3, the University of Montana (5-3) took advantage of two Tiger errors and a passed ball to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh. Memphis got a runner on base in response in the bottom half of that same inning, but Kyler Trosclair was stranded as Montana's pitcher, Haley Young, induced three ground balls to close out the win for the Grizzlies.

"In our first game, we had runners in scoring position, we just couldn't make it happen," Head Coach Natalie Poole said. "Molly Smith only had one walk, we just needed a couple of clutch hits that we couldn't get."

In the second game of the Tigers' slate on Saturday, Michigan State scored five first inning runs and tacked on scores in the second, third and fifth innings to down Memphis 9-1 in the second meeting between the two teams this season. The loss drops Memphis to 1-8 on the season.

"It's really just been one inning in each of our games out here so far this weekend," Head Coach Natalie Poole said. "We're just not keeping it clean. We give up a walk, then back it up with an error. You take those out, and in all of these games here, we are ahead or in a close game. We've been competitive, but we're better than that. No one is doing this to us, we are doing it to ourselves."

In four games at the Littlewood Classic, Memphis has committed 10 errors, but has one chance left to clean things up in Arizona before returning to the Mid-South. The Tigers will close out the Littlewood Classic on Sunday with an 11:15 a.m. (PT) game against Northern Iowa. Next week, Memphis heads to Gulfport, Miss., to participate in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Softball Classic, Friday through Sunday.

Montana 4, Memphis 3 | Box Score

Montana got on the board first as their leadoff hitter, MaKenna McGill, singled and advanced on a bunt. A double pushed that run across before the Tigers got the third out. McGill would go 3-for-4 on the day and would score a pair of Montana's four runs, including the game-winning score.
Memphis took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Lindsey Crowdus singled and advanced to third on a Hannah Harrell single. Brittany Seale then singled, scoring both Crowdus and Harrell. The two RBI gives Seale six now heading in to the last game of the tourney. Lindsey Stickrod singled to move Seale to second and Seale moved to third when freshman short stop Tyler Johnson was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
Montana then changed pitchers with the bases loaded, bringing in Haley Young.
Sophomore Brooke Lee singled off Young, scoring Seale, but Stickrod was caught at home on a throw from left field to end the Tigers' threat with Memphis up 3-1.
Montana shortstop Delene Colburn doubled to open the fourth inning and scored when the next batter, third baseman Bethany Olea, also doubled, cutting the Tigers' lead to 3-2.
Montana added a game-tying run in the fifth as the leadoff hitter got on via an error, then stole second. A fly out to right field advanced her to third and she scored on a single to left field tying the game at three.
Memphis quickly regrouped and threatened to retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Johnson, who was 2-for-2 in game one Saturday, singled and advanced on a Brooke Lee bunt. Breana Valenzuela stepped in as a pinch runner for Johnson and moved to third on a passed ball. Freshman Regan Hadley drew a walk to put two runners on and advanced to second on a Addi Maxwell groundout. Both runners would be stranded as Lindsey Crowdus grounded out to short.
Montana took advantage in the top of the seventh. McGill singled to left field, then advanced to second on an error on the throw. She advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when designated player, Lexie Brenneis, reached base on an error. The Tigers would commit one more error in the inning, but Molly Smith got first baseman Sydney Stites to fly out to end the inning with the Tigers trailing 4-3.
Kyler Trosclair singled to lead things off for Memphis in the bottom of the seventh and moved to second on a bunt down the third base line from Hannah Harrell. But that was as close as Trosclair could get, as the Tigers' third and fourth hitters both recorded outs.
Haley Young picked up the win for Montana, scattering four hits over 4.1 innings with just one walk.
Molly Smith fell to 1-4 with the loss. Smith gave up eight hits and four runs, two earned, and struck out two while walking just one in seven innings.
Hannah Harrell stole three bases in the loss and now is 9-for-10 in stolen bases on the year.

Michigan State 9, Memphis 1 | Box Score

The two teams met for the second time in a week as both also participated in the Florida Gulf Coast tournament last weekend. Michigan State won that game, 5-3.
The Spartans opened with a five-run first inning, scoring all five runs with two outs. After Adriana Morgan got the first two hitters, Celeste Wood singled and stole second. Gutknecht singled up the middle to score Wood and Besson singled to score Gutknecht. Eveland singled to score a pair of runs and Memphis committed an error to score another run. After a walk, Morgan hit the next batter and a passed ball scored another run before Foerster flew out to end the inning.
Memphis answered right back. Tyler Johnson drew a walk and moved to second on a Brooke Lee single. Johnson was on third after a Regan Hadley foul out to right field, and Addi Maxwell singled to score Johnson. But that would be the Tigers' only run as Kyler Trosclair ground out, leaving two runners on base.
Bayleigh Wisher came in to pitch starting in the second inning with Memphis down 5-1.
Michigan State would add single runs in the bottom of the second and third and came in to the bottom of the fifth with a 7-1 lead.
The Spartans closed out the run rule after Shanin Thomas drew a walk and advanced on a single. Her pinch runner, Destinee Luna, scored when Lea Foerster doubled to right field. Kassidy Kujawa scored the Spartans' run rule score on a sac fly from McKenzie Long.