After an offensive explosion in the first game that included eight extra-base hits, the softball team was held to one extra-base hit in the second game as Montana State Billings earned a split of Friday’s GNAC doubleheader at Cenex Stadium.
was well on its way to winning the first game, 13-5, by scoring three runs in the first inning on doubles by Katie Antich (, ), Megan MacIsaac (, ), Sandra Hernandez (, ), and Jamie Foote (). The Redhawks scored four more runs in the third inning thanks to two-run home runs by Hernandez and Jessica Amador ().
Another Amador home run in the top of the fifth gave a 10-1 lead, but a two-run home run by Kelly Parsons in the bottom of the inning kept the game going. With the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Katie Gould () singled and Antich walked to give the Redhawks a 13-3 lead. Two more runs by the Yellowjackets threatened to continue the contest, but a flyout ended the contest via the eight-run rule.
After giving up only one hit in the first three innings, Erin Martin () allowed eight hits and five runs in the final three innings, but the support of her offense was enough to give her the 19th victory of the season. Hernandez finished the first game 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three runs driven in, while Amador went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI and Antich finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases, setting the Seattle University single season stolen bases record with her 20th and 21st thefts of the season.
Game two was the opposite of game one, as Montana State Billings was the team with the offensive explosion. The Yellowjackets scored four runs in the first inning and three runs in the third to take a 7-0 lead. A solo home run by Jane Purdy (, ) in the fourth and an RBI single by Purdy in the fifth put Seattle University on the board, but two runs by the home team in the bottom of the sixth inning ended the game by the eight-run rule, 10-2.
Purdy was 2-for-2 with a walk in the second game, the only hitter to earn more than one hit in the nightcap. Kelsey Reynolds () suffered the loss for the Redhawks in game two, allowing 16 hits and ten runs over 5 2/3 innings. Lisa Moore picked up the win for Montana State Billings, scattering seven hits over six innings.
(29-11, 11-5 GNAC) now finds itself one game behind Western Oregon (25-14, 13-5 GNAC) in the conference standings, with Central Washington (17-21, 12-6 GNAC) also one game back and (22-16, 10-6 GNAC) and MSU Billings (23-20, 12-8 GNAC) just two games back with eight days left in the regular season.
hosts Sunday, April 27, in a GNAC doubleheader beginning at 12 noon at Logan Field. The Redhawks will have a better idea of where they stand in the conference after doubleheaders Saturday between Western Oregon and Central Washington in , , and between Western Washington and Montana State Billings in