GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Lady Argo once again split in a second straight doubleheader against Carroll College, but UGF won the wrong won, with the second game not counting as a conference contest. Carroll's pitching was too strong in a 2-1 Game 1 loss for UGF, while back-to-back home runs brought the Lady Argos a 7-6 win in Game 2.
After serving as the team's clutch closer for much of the young season, junior pitcher
Kristina George got the start in Game 1 and looked a bit uncomfortable in the first inning. She made quick word of the leadoff batter, striking her out swinging, but walked the next batter and then gave up a ground-rule double.
That put runners at second and third with one out for Carroll and a sacrifice fly to left field brought in the game's first run. A single to right in the next at bat brought in another run, before UGF shortstop Kaylee Jaussi got an unassisted out at second to end the inning.
In most of the Lady Argo's games this season a 2-point deficit hasn't been a difficult obstacle to overcome, but against Carroll's Tess Eaton.
UGF went three up three down in the bottom of the first, but looked poised for a strong offensive day in the bottom of the second. An error to start the inning got a UGF runner on base and a single from senior catcher
Jocelyn Kaufman put runners on first and second with one out.
Redshirt-freshman
Mikayla Deigan then hit a double to left field which brought senior
Jackie Thomas across home plate. That left the Lady Argos with two more runners in scoring position with one out, but two straight ground outs ended a would be run.
Similar situations would play out in the bottom of the fourth and bottom of the sixth only this time without the one run. Thomas's score would be all UGF would get in the game despite 6 hits and 8 runners left on base.
The only Lady Argo to get more than one hit off Eaton was Kaufman, who went 2-3 and was left stranded in scoring position twice. She also had 6 putouts from behind home plate.
Game 2 start much the same as Game 1, only this time it was senior pitcher
Shelby Abeyta in the circle. Abeyta struck out the first two batters but then let up two singles and a double that scored two runs for Carroll in the top of the first inning.
The difference this time was a resounding response from the Lady Argo offense. Moving to the leadoff spot for Game 2, senior
Paige Bodner started things off with a single to second. She was thrown out a fielder's choice from junior
Bailey Henderson and then junior Kylie Gonzalez, UGF's best hitter so far this season, singled to left to put two runners on base.
That brought
Hali Gruntowicz to the plate. The senior was UGF's best hitter in 2016 but entered the day hitting 0.174 in 2017. This time, she looked like last year's version, belting a shot to deep right for her second home run of the season. The 3 RBI effort gave UGF the lead, and that was soon extended by Deigan. She combined with Gruntowicz for the first back-to-back home runs of the season for the Lady Argos.
Henderson and Gonzales, who have become a deadly one-two punch in the top of the Lady Argo lineup, were again at the center of the action as UGF extended its lead in the next inning.
Fellow junior transfer, Jaussi, led off the inning with a single and the stole second. Henderson drove her former Western Nevada College teammate home with an RBI single to right. Henderson then advanced to second on a passed ball and soon made her way home off an RBI single from Gonzales.
In the fourth, Gruntowicz proved she has emerged out of her hitting slump, hitting a low line drive down the first base line for an RBI single to bring UGF's lead to 7-2. At the time that extra run seemed inconsequential, but it would prove to be crucial.
After the 2 runs in the first, Abeyta settled down and for the next 5 innings pitched a total gem. While let up a few hits here and there, her blend of pitches kept the Fighting Saint's off guard and she finished the game with a new career high of 10 strike outs.
Suddenly in the top of the seventh, Carroll figured her out. The second batter of the inning knocked a solo shot over the center field fence to make the score a still innocent 7-3 margin. It was the following single and then a walk that started to bring tension to the mood on the field.
With two outs and two runners on base, Carroll's Ashley Davis came to the plate, and hit another home run, this time to left field, to bring the Saints within 1 run of the Lady Argos.
The senior savvy of Abeyta kept the pitcher from panicking, and she struck out the next better to squeak out the win. While it wasn't as pretty as it could have been, Abeyta's performance was the first complete game victory of the season for any Lady Argo pitcher and is now 5-0 on the year.
Gruntowicz's reawakening brought 4 RBI, 1 run, and 2 hits in 3 at bats for the senior in Game two. Kaufman also continued her hot hitting while serving as the DP in the game while getting a rest at catcher. She finished the game going 4-7 at the plate.
Based on the structure of Cascade Collegiate Conference play in 2017, the first game of the second doubleheader on a conference weekend is a conference game, but the second one is a non-conference games. That means Carroll is one game ahead of UGF in the conference standings despite splitting the weekend series.
UGF's record now stands at 8-2 (1-2) on the year. Next for the Lady Argos will be two road doubleheaders against Southern Oregon on March 10 & 11.
