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OGDEN, Utah (May 13, 2017) – The University of Montana captured its first Big Sky Conference softball championship Saturday afternoon with a 9-5 win over No. 1 seed Weber State. The Grizzlies will find out who their NCAA tournament opponents will be tomorrow at 8 p.m Mountain time as ESPN2 hosts the Women’s College World Series selection show.
Weber State topped Idaho State 8-6 in Saturday’s first game. Tatiana Su’esu’e earned the complete game win and Riana Splinter and Sara Hingsberger each drove in two runs. ISU’s Ashlyn Ames was tagged with the loss.
The win setup a rematch between the No. 1 seeded Wildcats and No. 2 Montana in the championship game. Montana needed one win to capture the conference crown while WSU needed to win to force a deciding game.
The Grizzlies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first but Weber State struck back for two runs in the top of the third.
UM blew the game open with seven runs on nine hits in the bottom of the fourth to take a 8-2 lead. Montana added a run in the bottom of the fifth and held off a Weber State rally to clinch the championship.
Michaela Hood picked up the win in 5.1 innings and earned the Big Sky tournament MVP award after leading the Grizzlies to three wins. Bethany Olea went 3-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored to lead the Griz offense.
The championship marks the first Big Sky softball title in the three-year history of the Montana program.
All-Tournament Team
Michaela Hood, UM – MVP
Sydney Stites, UM
Bethany Olea, UM
Delene Colburn, UM
Kirtlyn Bohling, WSU
Takesha Saltern, WSU
Sara Hingsberger, WSU
Haley Harrison, ISU
Kacie Burnett, ISU
Ashlyn Ames, ISU
Jessica Ravetti, SAC