MISSOULA — With the Big Sky Conference regular season championship on the line, it was the reigning champions getting the job done as Idaho State beat Montana 8-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Grizzly Softball Field.
After the teams split their meeting on Saturday, it all came down to Sunday. Behind another stellar pitching performance from Marley Goluskin, the Bengals were again crowned the conference's regular-season champs as they clinched the No. 1 seed heading into the Big Sky tournament which will be held May 4-7 in Pocatello. The title was ISU's third in four years.
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Similar to the first game earlier on Saturday, the Bengals started the scoring off with a sacrifice fly, this one coming from Ava Brown who drove in Alyssa Yee. In the second inning, the Bengals ballooned the lead to 4-0, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Kennedy Dudley.
A three-run home run from Sydney Groves effectively sealed the game in the top of the seventh inning, as Montana had chances throughout the middle of the contest but couldn't quite get past Goluskin to bring home more runs.
After a gem in the second game of the series on Saturday, Goluskin finished with another complete game as she gave up seven hits, two runs and walked three with one strikeout.
Brianna Gutierrez drove in both of UM's runs, one in the second inning and the other in the sixth. The Grizzlies stranded eight runners in total and were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Idaho State finished the regular season 10-5 in Big Sky play and 34-18 overall while UM ended 19-30 overall and 9-6 in league. The Griz will enter the Big Sky tournament as the No. 4 seed behind ISU, Northern Colorado and Sacramento State.
UM will take on No. 5 Weber State in the opening round of the tournament. Portland State rounds out the field at No. 6.
