March 18, 2008

Softball Completes 10-Game Homestand This Week

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings softball team is scheduled to play four games this week, beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday with a non-conference game against Minot State and again at 3 p.m. against Great Falls.  MSUB will complete the 10-game home stand Saturday at 11 a.m. with a doubleheader against Great Northwest Athletic Conference member Northwest Nazarene.  The Yellowjackets have won four-straight for a 10-15 record overall and a 4-4 record in the GNAC.

Minot State and Great Falls also will play a neutral site game at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Cenex Stadium. 

The Jackets went 4-2 lasst week as they swept two conference series’ from Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon.  Against WOU, MSUB used the “longball” for the victory as GNAC Player of the Week, Terina Stacks, belted two home runs against the Wolves helping the Jackets to the sweep.  Eight home runs were hit between the two teams, including six in the nightcap, a 6-4 victory for MSUB.  WOU had been receiving votes heading into the week.

Stacks, a native of Washougal, Wash., had a team-high eight hits in 19 at bats last week for a .421 average, garnering GNAC Player of the Week honors.  She hit home runs in back-to-back games in the two victories over WOU on Saturday.  The first home run was the game-winner in a 2-1 decision and her second knotted the game at three as MSUB went on for a 6-4 win.  Stacks also scored six runs and posted a .842 slugging percentage for the week.  Defensively, she had 41 putouts, one assist and no errors for the week.

This season, the Jackets are led by Stacks who is hitting a team-best .354 thus far.  She also leads the team with three home runs and 42 total bases.  She has belted five doubles and has a team-best 28 hits on the year.  She also is a team-best 4-4 in the stolen base department and is slugging a team-high .532.  Stephanie Gosselin is second on the team at a .333 clip.  She has one home run and 11 RBI.  Leslie Davis is third on the team and carries a .325 average.  Davis is second on the team in hits with 26 and leads the team in RBI’s with 13. 

In the circle, Rebekah Tsatsa leads the team with a 3.09 ERA.  She is 6-6 on the year and has pitched 79.1 innings.  She leads the team with 54 strikeouts and opponents are hitting just .254 against her.

Minot State enters the week with a 6-4 record in NAIA.  The game between MSUB and Minot will be an exhibition for the Beavers.

The Yellowjackets own a 5-0 record against Minot State.  All five previous contests have been played at Cenex Stadium.  MSUB won a pair of games on Apr. 25, 2005, 3-0 and 8-0.    

Great Falls enters the week with a 9-4 record overall.  The Argonauts are led by Joe Bailey who is hitting a team-best .564 on the year in 12 games.  She leads the team in hits with 22, home runs with four and RBI’s with 15.  Bailey is slugging .949 on the year.  Sarah DeVore is second on the team in average at .464. She has a .821 slugging percentage and leads the team with five doubles.  Erica McAlmond also is hitting over .400 on the year at a .412 clip.

On the mound for the Argos, DeVore leads the team with a 4-1 record and a 3.29 ERA.  She also has one save in 27.2 innings of work.  Lindsay Cline is second on the squad with a 5.25 ERA and a 3-1 record.

MSUB leads the all-time series with UGF, 4-0.  The Jackets and the Argos last met on April 22, 2007 as MSUB won 20-12 and 8-0 at Cenex Stadium. 

Northwest Nazarene enters the week on the heels of its first win of the season in a split last weekend with nationally ranked Seattle University.  It was just Seattle’s second loss of the season.  The Crusaders stand at 1-23 on the year and 1-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.   NNU has struggled to hit this season as the team has a .216 average.  Leading the way is Haley Hevern at a .297 clip.  She leads the team with 19 hits, four doubles, one triple and one home run along with seven RBI.   

In the circle, the Crusaders also have struggled with a 7.26 ERA.  Rachel Bare leads the team with a 5.96 ERA and a 1-12 record.  She has made 20 appearances and has 13 starts with seven complete games in 85.2 innings of work.  Bare leads the team with 45 strikeouts.

The Yellowjackets own a 5-1 record against Northwest Nazarene all-time.  The teams squared off earlier in the year as MSUB posted an 8-0 victory in five innings at the Central Washington Invitational on Feb. 28.  Stacks and Davis each had three hits in that game and Lisa Moore went all five innings, allowing five hits and had two walks and two strikeouts.  This will be the first time the Crusaders have visited Billings.