Yellowjackets Drop Pair to Western New Mexico (May 2, 2003)

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – MSU Billings dropped a pair of Pacific West Conference softball games to fifth-ranked Western New Mexico on Friday, losing the first game 6-5 and the second game 8-0.  The Mustangs, who have already clinched the PacWest title, improved to 50-8 overall and16-2 in the PacWest.  The Yellowjackets, who had won 12 of their last 15, dropped to 15-18, 6-12.

The Yellowjackets took a 2-1 lead in the first inning of game one when Joey Ehnes scored on Sara Hanley’s fielder’s choice.  Terilee Ehnes drove in Hanley with a single to left center.  Each team was held scoreless in the second before WNMU tied the game in the top of the third on Tiffany Mondhink’s RBI groundout that scored Jessica Garcia.

The Mustangs added a run in the top of the fifth and three more in the top of the sixth to take a 6-2 lead.  Garcia’s sacrifice fly scored Lori Browning, and Rachel Stahle’s home run over the centerfield fence drove in Daniel Harmon and Shellie Broyles.

The Yellowjackets rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth behind a three-run homer to right from Christy Wankel.  It was Wankel’s third home run of the season, driving in Stephanie Cochrun and Terilee Ehnes to draw the Jackets to within a run.  Neither team was able to score in the seventh as WNMU pitcher Angela Slaugh improved to 28-4.  Megan McCrae took the loss to fall to 8-11.  Wankel was 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored to lead the MSUB offense.  Broyles and Stahle were each 2-for-3 for WNMU with a pair of RBI.

The Mustangs scored a pair of runs in the first inning of the second game and didn’t look back.  They added one more in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth to win via the eight-run rule.  Tiffany Mondhink pitched a no-hitter for her 22^nd win of the season.  Her first no-hitter of the season was preserved in the bottom of the fifth when centerfielder Jessica Garcia made a web-gems catch to rob Wankel of a sure double in the right-center gap. 

Joey Ehnes gave up seven hits and eight runs in four innings of work to fall to 7-4 for the season.  Cochrun finished off the final three outs of the game for the Jackets, allowing just one hit.  The same teams will play again on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and noon.