Yellowjackets Sweep BYU-Hawaii to Take Four Game Series (Apr. 26, 2004)
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings softball team swept two games from visiting BYU-Hawaii on Monday to win three of four games against the Seasiders.  The Yellowjackets won 6-1 and 4-3 following a two-game split on Saturday.  The Yellowjackets improved to 23-28 overall and 6-14 in the PacWest.  BYU-Hawaii dropped to 12-19, 4-8.  MSU Billings finishes the season on May 1 and 2 against Northern Colorado.  There will be three games on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. with one game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Joey Ehnes pitched a complete game in game one for her nineteenth victory of the season.  She struck out nine while scattering three hits over seven innings.  She allowed one run in the top of the seventh when the Seasiders’ Chynna Wilcox drove in Mandy Kirkham with an RBI single.

The Jackets broke a scoreless tie in the second when Layne Pavey hit her fifth home run of the season, a towering solo shot over the centerfield fence.  MSUB broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the third on a three-run homer by Ehnes, her fifth of the year.  Cami Rainey’s hard line drive to the second baseman ended the inning with the bases loaded.

The Yellowjackets tacked on insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings.  Aysha Blatter doubled off the leftfield fence to score Stephanie Cochrun in the fifth.  Rainey then led off the sixth with her fourth home run of the year.  The Yellowjackets have now hit 28 home runs this season, the most in the Pacific West Conference.

Megan McCrae earned the win in game two after pitching five strong innings on Saturday without factoring into the decision.  She went five innings again on Monday, giving up four hits and three runs.  All three runs were allowed in the top of the sixth when the Seasiders made a rally sparked by a Yellowjacket error.  The top three batters in the Seasiders’ lineup each crossed the plate.  Scoring were Rachel Delaney, Wilcox and Teresa Rushton.

Ehnes pitched the final two innings in relief for her first save of the year.  She struck out four of the six batters she faced, including three in the seventh inning.

The MSU Billings offense did all of its damage in the first two innings.  Rainey led off the game with an infield single and scored on an RBI single from Pavey.  Anna Henderson’s sacrifice bunt moved Rainey into scoring position.

Rainey’s bases loaded double in the bottom of the second scored Sara Hanley and Aysha Blatter, who had each reached on singles.  Henderson then beat out an infield single to plate Christy Wankel.

Wankel was 2-for-3 in each game with two runs scored.  Rainey also collected four hits for the day, going 2-for-4 in each game with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.  Hanley went 2-for-3 in the second game for her third multiple hit game of the four-game series against the Seasiders.