Yellowjacket Win Streak Grows to Six (Mar. 6, 2005)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

RICHLAND, WA – Two more wins on Sunday pushed the Montana State-Billings softball team’s winning streak to six games, giving the Yellowjackets the best start in the program’s history.  The Jackets improved to 9-4 overall with wins over St. Martin’s and Seattle University on the final day of the Central Washington Invitational.  MSU Billings finished in a tie for second place at the tournament with a 6-2 mark.  Their only losses were to Humboldt State (8-0 at the tourney) and Central Washington (6-2).

The Jackets pounded St. Martin’s, 9-2, in the early game on Sunday.  Rachel Quarnburg (So., Billings, MT) made her first pitching appearance of the season, going 3 1/3 innings with two strike outs.  She gave way in the fourth to Joey Ehnes (Sr., Great Falls, MT) who struck out five in 3 2/3 innings for her fifth win of the season. 

MSU Billings rallied from a 2-1 deficit with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth.  Cami Rainey (Sr., Terreton, ID) started the rally with a double, advancing Ehnes to third.  Sara Hanley (Sr., Kalispell, MT) followed with an RBI single, scoring Ehnes.  Rainey scored on a throwing error on the same play.  Quarnburg followed with a double that plated Hanley.  The Yellowjackets blew the game open with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.  The outburst was highlighted by a two run home run by Rainey.

Rainey was 2-for-3 in the game with three RBI and three runs.  Ehnes and Quarnburg were each 1-for-3 with an RBI.  Ehnes also scored two runs.  Hanley went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

In the second game MSU Billings defeated Seattle 4-3 in dramatic fashion.  The Redhawks were just a few votes from being ranked in the national top 25 in the preseason coaches’ poll.  Ehnes pitched all seven innings for the win, improving to 6-3.  She struck out five while allowing four hits and three earned runs.

Jenna Haacke (Fr., Billings, MT) hit the first home run of her collegiate career in the bottom of the fourth to give MSU Billings a 1-0 lead.  The Jackets added two runs in the fifth on a Rainey RBI double.  Seattle rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game.  The Redhawks’ Amanda Nilles drove in two of the runs, and Marjalena Santos homered.

After the defenses and pitching held in the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh, Rainey led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk off

 home run.  Rainey went 2-for-4 in the game with two runs and two RBI.  Haacke was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.  Anna Henderson (Jr., Frenchtown, MT) and Ehnes each went 2-for-3.  For the day, Rainey was 4-for-7 with two home runs, five RBI, and five runs.

MSU Billings batted .310 as a team for the tournament.  In eight games, Rainey, Quarnburg and Ehnes each batted .500.  Rainey led the team with nine RBI, eight runs, three doubles and two home runs.  Quarnburg drove in seven RBI and scored twice.  Ehnes scored eight times and drove in four RBI.  She also posted a 1.47 ERA and a 3-2 record with 44 strikeouts in six appearances.

The Yellowjackets continue their important Spring Break swing through the West Region on Tuesday and Wednesday.  They will play a doubleheader at Seattle University on March 8 and a doubleheader at St. Martin’s on March 9.  MSU Billings opens its home schedule on Sunday, March 13 with a single game against Dickinson State.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Cenex Stadium.  The Jackets begin PacWest Conference play on March 24 at Hawaii Pacific University.