EUGENE, Ore. – Argo softball ended a seven game losing streak and won its first road game since February 20, in a three-game road series against Northwest Christian University. UGF won two of the three games, 11-0 (5 innings), 7-2, and 0-4 which, for now, will keep the team out of last place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings.
 
Initially, the two teams were supposed to play four times, meeting for back-to-back doubleheaders on April 14 & 15. The two games scheduled for the 14 were canceled due to rain, and the series was condensed to three games on the 15.
 
Entering the weekend, the Lady Argos and the Beacons were tied at the bottom of the conference standings with a record of 3-15.
 
UGF rose above the Beacons with a blistering Game 1. Senior pitcher Shelby Abeyta didn't need much run support to win the game. She pitched a gem in the 5 innings that the game lasted, striking out 4 batters, and giving up only 3 hits, and 0 runs.
 
While the Lady Argo offense didn't need to score many runs to win the game, they went off anyway. A single from senior Jocelyn Kaufman started off the top of the second inning rather innocuously, but her teammates rallied behind her to score 5 runs in the inning.
 
Junior infielder Gabrielle Canibeyaz drove in the first runs of the day with a 2 RBI single up the middle that scored Kaufman and senior Paige Bodner. A single from senior Morgan Robinson drove in a third run and a double from junior Kyle Gonzalez brought Robinson and senior Kyra Dorvall across home plate.  
 
A similar rally occurred in the top of the fifth to put UGF above the 8 run mercy rule threshold. Of the 5 runs scored in the inning, 4 were driven in by the team's two and three hitters, junior Bailey Henderson and Gonzales. Henderson smacked a 2 RBI double to left center, while Gonzales hit her seventh home run of the season to drive in 2 more runs.
 
Game 2 didn't start off with the bang that Game 1 did. Having only pitched 5 innings in the first contest, Abeyta against started in the pitcher's circle. This time she gave up singles to three of the first four batters, the third of which combined with an error brought in 2 runs for NCU.
 
UGF's third 5 run inning of the day answered those 2 runs in the top of the third. Henderson hit another double to drive in the first of those runs, and then, with two runners on base, senior Hali Gruntowicz sent a blast over the center field fence for her fifth home run of the year.
 
In the bottom of the third inning, redshirt-freshman Mikayla Deigan came in to pitch and only gave up 3 hits for the rest of game.
 
She got even more of a margin to work with in the top of the fourth and fifth. In the fourth, senior Jackie Thomas singled down the left field line to bring Gonzales home. In the fifth, Gruntowicz struck again, homering down the left field line.
 
Game 3 wasn't as successful of an effort. UGF's offense only managed 2 hits in the game, and while Deigan pitched well, 3 UGF errors cost the team 4 runs. All of those errors came in the bottom of the fifth and resulted in 4 unearned runs for the Beacons.
 
By the end of the series, UGF's record stands at 13-19 (5-16) and has the team in ninth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings.
 
The team's next opponent will be #25 Oregon Tech, who will come to Great Falls for two doubleheaders on April 21 & 22.