Friday, May 1, 2015

YAKIMA, Wash. – Cameron Cassinelli delivered the big blow for the second day in a row Friday as third-seed Montana State Billings stunned Saint Martin’s 4-3 to advance to Saturday’s championship game of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Softball Championships.

Cassinelli delivered a two-out home run blast to center field to break a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning and Jessyka MacDonald retired eight of the last nine hitters she faced as the Yellowjackets upset the top-seeded Saints at the Gateway Sports Complex.  The loss snapped SMU's nine-game win streak.

MSUB will play for the conference tournament championship Saturday at noon.  If the Yellowjackets lose, they’ll have a second chance to earn the GNAC title and an automatic berth in next week’s NCAA West Regional Saturday at 2:30 in the double-elimination tournament.

The Saints will need a win tonight against either Western Oregon or Western Washington to earn a rematch Saturday against MSUB. 

SMU, however, has a good opportunity to advance to the regionals, regardless, as it was ranked sixth in this week’s NCAA Division II West Regional rankings.  Eight teams will qualify for the two four-team sub-regionals.

Cassinelli, whose three-run fifth-inning home run was the key hit in Thursday’s 6-1 win over Western Washington, twice put MSUB ahead in this contest.

In the fourth she doubled to drive in first baseman Emily Osborn and briefly give the ‘Jackets a 3-2 lead. 

The Saints, however, quickly tied it at 3-3 in their half of the inning as first baseman Dani Wall doubled, advanced to third on a single by third baseman Megan Miller and scored on a sacrifice fly by catcher Jackie Schmaeling.

They, however, weren’t so lucky the second time as MacDonald improved to 2-0 in the tournament, hurling a six-hit complete game.  She didn’t walk a batter and fanned five.  So far in the tournament, MacDonald has allowed just 10 hits and four runs in 14 innings, while walking two and striking out seven.

Two of the runs came on a first-inning home run by Saint pitcher Sam Munger, which gave SMU and early 2-1 lead.

MSUB, however, took advantage of Saint errors to score unearned runs in the third and fourth innings.

In the third, centerfield Bella Rovens reached on an error, then moved to third on a single by left fielder Amanda Barham before scoring on a single by shortstop Taylor Hoke.  Then in the fourth an error to start the inning eventually led to Cassinelli’s RBI double.