GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Three Lady Argos hit home runs and the University of Great Fall's softball team held a 5-1 lead in Game 3, but UGF couldn't come away with a win in a tripleheader against Oregon Tech, losing 4-0, 11-6, and 9-5.
Outside of a 3-run top of the third for OIT, Game 1 was largely a pitchers' duel. The Owl's pitcher, Loryn Williams, held the Lady Argos to just 3 hits in the contest, striking out 4 and walking 1.
On the other side, UGF's senior pitcher Shelby Abeyta allowed a few hits in the early innings but managed to escape with zeros in the runs column through the first two. Then in the third, OIT drew first blood with a 2 RBI home run, followed by an RBI single to left field.
With that, junior Kristina George came into relieve Abeyta in the top of the fourth, and held the Owls to 1 hit and no runs until the seventh. She gave up 2 hits and a solo homerun in the final stanza, but the loss was more a matter of UGF's batters not getting a good feel for William's pitches.
Game 2 was all about the second inning. Redshirt-freshman Mikayla Deigan started in the pitcher circle for UGF, and the Owls got the best of her in the top of the inning. OIT got to bat 12 times in the inning and totaled 8 hits and 7 runs, including a 3-run homer and a 2-run double.
UGF rallied back in the bottom of the inning, however. At the start, it didn't look like the team would have much of a response, popping up to first and striking out in the first two at bats. Even after singles from junior Gabrielle Canibeyaz and senior Jocelyn Kaufman, the chances of a big inning didn't seem likely.
That started to change with a double to center from senior Morgan Robinson, just her fourth of the season, which brought Canibeyaz home for UGF's first score of the day. The next batter, junior Bailey Henderson, walked and loaded the bases for the Lady Argo's home run leader, Kylie Gonzales.
Gonzales wasted no time living up to the hype, swinging at the first pitch and hitting deep to center field for a grand slam. The bases-clearly knock instantly made it a game again, with the score at 7-5 OIT.
Over the next few inning, both offenses quieted, but UGF's more so than Oregon Tech's. The Owls once in the top of the third, and then brought the lead to 11-5 with another home run, this time a 2-run job, and an RBI single.
Once again, the Lady Argos had a response and it started with a bang. Senior infielder Jackie Thomas led off the inning, and drove a ball to left center that cleared the fences for her first career home run. Five batter later, UGF had 2 outs but had loaded the bases, only this time all three runners got stranded with a pop up to the catcher to end the inning, and essentially the game.
UGF Head Coach Joey Egan, mixed up her lineup in Game 3, playing two freshmen, and sliding Henderson to catcher for senior Jocelyn Kaufman. She has used similar lineups in the fourth game of past conference series, the one that doesn't count as a conference game, but she went with the change despite the game counting towards the team's CCC record.
Early on, the decision appeared to be a good one. For the first time all day, UGF took a lead against the Owls, with senior Paige Bodner leading off the bottom of the first inning with a single between first base and second, and eventually scoring on a double from senior Hali Gruntowicz.
Abeyta was back in the pitching circle after her early exit in Game 1, and looked solid for the first five innings. She held OIT scoreless through three, and only allowed 1 run until the sixth inning.
By the time the sixth inning started, the Lady Argos looked poised for a win with a 5-1 lead. The team's second run of the day came off of a solo shot from Gruntowicz, her seventh home run of the season, and the others came from 3 unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth.
That fourth inning run began with a double down the right field line from Canibeyaz, which was compounded with junior Mikaylee Jaussi reaching second on an OIT throwing error in the next at bat. With runners on second and third, and 2 outs, Bodner stepped to the plate and hit a double to left to bring Canibeyaz and Jaussi home.
The third run of the inning was controversial. Henderson was the batter and hit a single to center. On the hit, Bodner tried for home and was clearly tagged out by the catcher to end the inning. In her initial movement from second to third, however, Bodner ran into OIT's shortstop and the umpired ruled her safe at home due to the earlier interference.
All of that drama was completely negated in the top of the sixth, when OIT once against got a hold of Abeyta's pitching. The Owls loaded the bases by way of a double, a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch. OIT's Hoglund then hit a grounder right to first baseman Hanna Tarum, who got the ball but slipped and bobbled it, delaying a throw to home that was too late to force out the runner from third.
A wild pitch from Abeyta scored another run, and a double to left scored 2 more runs to give Oregon Tech the lead 6-5.
OIT added another 3 runs in the top of the seventh, to take the wind out of UGF's sails and end the game with a 9-5 Owl victory.
Bodner finished the Game 3 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs.
UGF's record falls to 13-21 (5-19) with the three loses. The team will have one more series left before the end of the season, a four game home stand against the College of Idaho on April 28 & 29.
