Softball Preview: Montrose Red Hawks vs. Grand Junction Tigers
After four games on the road, Montrose is heading back home. They will host the Grand Junction Tigers at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Montrose is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
Montrose fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Eagle Valley on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Devils by a score of 6-5.
Isabelle Mott spent all 7.2 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits. Those 7.2 innings set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Montrose saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zuri Balleck, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Grand Junction waltzed into their matchup on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They were the clear victor by a 15-2 margin over the Demons. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won seven games by six runs or more so far this season.
Jaxon Clark made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive pitching appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Grand Junction got a massive performance out of Ashley Gonzalez, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-3. Gonzalez continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Maycie Sinicki, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Grand Junction was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in seven consecutive contests.
Montrose has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season. As for Grand Junction, they pushed their record up to 8-3 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Grand Junction's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Montrose has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Grand Junction, though, as they've been averaging 9.3. Given Montrose's sizable advantage in that area, Grand Junction will need to find a way to close that gap.
Montrose suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Grand Junction when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Can Montrose avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
