MISSOULA, Mont. The Southern Utah softball team sustained a 6-5 loss in a roller-coaster affair against Montana on Sunday. The loss dropped SUU to 7-2 in the Big Sky Conference, two games behind Weber State's 9-0 record.
Brooke Brown feasted on Montana pitching this weekend, going 6-for-11 with 8 RBI and a trio of home runs.
Her two-run shot today moved Brown into a fifth-ranked tie on the single-season school record charts. Mikell Griffin (2012) and Tiffany Burt (2006) also notched 12 dingers in their seasons. Brown stands just three big flies behind Lindi Kennedy's school-record 15 set in 2007.
Rank, Name (Season), Home Runs
1, Lindi Kennedy (2007), 15
T2, Kadi Henderson (2014), 13
T2, Bobbi Jo Merrill (2007), 13
T2, Marci Pratt (2006), 13
T5, Brooke Brown (2021), 12
T5, Mikkel Griffin (2012), 12
T5, Tiffany Burt (2006), 12
T8, Josey White (2021), 11
T8, Kylee Wolf (2014), 11
T8, Madison Resley (2014), 11
T8, Darleen Fernandez (2011), 11
T8, Marci Pratt (2007), 11
T8, Tiffany Burt (2005), 11
Brown also moved into the top 10 in RBI in a single season with 44 to her credit thus far. Marci Pratt owns that school record with 58 RBI in 2006.
Rank, Name (Season), RBI
1, Marci Pratt (2006), 58
2, Lindi Kennedy (2007), 57
3, Kortny Hall (2006), 54
4, Tiffany Burt (2006), 52
5, Bonnie Cahill (1981), 51
T6, Kadi Henderson (2014), 46
T6, Bobbi Jo Merrill (2007), 46
T6, Erin Niederhauser (2007), 46
9, Brooke Brown (2021), 44
T10, Madison Resley (2014), 43
T10, Kelsey Bryan (2012), 43
Montana opened scoring in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. SUU responded in the top of the second to knot the game 1-1. Brown singled to third base to bring home Reilly Williams in a bases-loaded situation. Williams started the two-out rally with a double down the right-field line.
The Grizzlies bounced back in the top of the second with another run to retake a 2-1 lead on a throwing miscue by SUU.
Brown erased a major Montana threat in the top of the third, turning a double play with two on and no outs. Tyler Denhart then induced another groundout to get out of the inning.
Dayna Hokanson tied the game in the top of the fourth with a double to right field, her seventh two-bagger of the season, to plate pinch-runner Maddie Sanders for a 2-2 tie.
SUU took its first lead of the game in the top of the fifth. Makall Whetten bunted to third base as part of a suicide squeeze that scored speedy pinch-runner Mackenzie Whitten from third base for a 3-2 advantage..
Montana had its chances to even the score in the bottom of the fifth, but Paige Reynolds and Skyler Ball made tremendous defensive plays in the outfield to stop the threat.
The dominant duo of Brown and Josey White tag-teamed to deliver two more runs for the T-Birds in the top of the sixth. White doubled to right center, her 12th double of the campaign, to set the table. Brown then blasted her 12th home run of the season to left center to extend SUU's lead to 5-2.
The Grizzlies responded in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run home run from their top hitter Maygan McGrath to tie the game again at 5-5. Montana then avoided the series sweep with a run in the bottom of the seventh for the 6-5 win.
Grace Owen took the loss in 0.2 innings of relief. Denhart started the game in the circle and left with a 2.45 ERA during the contest in 5.2 innings pitched. She induced eight flyouts and eight groundouts.
Next up, the Thunderbirds host Weber State in a key Big Sky Conference three-game set.
The intra-state rivals battle in a doubleheader at Kathryn Berg Field in Cedar City on April 23 at 1 p.m. MST before closing out the series with a game on April 24 at 12 noon MST. SUU needs a sweep to take the conference lead.
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