Junior Krista Francia hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Northern Colorado softball team Saturday, sealing the Bears’ three-game sweep of Montana with a 9-6 victory at Gloria Rodriguez Field in Greeley.
Montana scored twice in the top of the seventh, tying the game when Makena Strong scored on a Grace Algrim wild pitch with the bases loaded.
The game was the third and final game of the teams’ Big Sky Conference opening series. UNC swept Friday’s doubleheader 9-1 and 3-0.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, UNC’s Katie Walling and Amailee Morales came up with back-to-back walks on four straight pitches off Montana pitcher Cameryn Ortega. Ortega retired the first two UNC batters of the inning, Abby Gaona and Jaycie Gandert, on infield pop ups.
Francia worked a 2-2 count against Ortega before hitting the home run to center field to win the game. Ortega got Francia on a strike on the first pitch, and Francia fouled off the second pitch for a 0-2 count. She was 0 for 3 on the day leading to the home run, which was her third of the season. She had four RBIs with a sacrifice fly in UNC’s two-run fourth inning.
Walling had three RBI on two hits, and Morales hit a solo home run in the third for UNC’s first run.
Montana (0-3 Big Sky, 7-27) scored four runs, two earned runs, on one hit and two UNC errors in the top of the first. One of the errors in the inning was committed by Francia. The Bears had three errors in the game and four in the series.
The Grizzlies jumped out to the early lead when UNC starting pitcher Isabelle DiNapoli hit Jessica Stanfield with a pitch with the bases loaded. Two batters later, Jocelyn Eisen delivered a two-run single. Stanfield also scored on the play, an unearned run after an error in right field by Jazzy Longo.
DiNapoli gave up three hits, four runs with two earned in 2 2/3 innings. Algrim allowed two runs on four hits with a walk in 3 2/3 innings. Anna Wilming (5-8) earned the win on 11 pitches in one-third of an inning in the seventh. She gave up a walk and struck out a batter.
UNC, 3-0 Big Sky and 12-21 overall, go back on the road next weekend, April 4-5, for a three-game series at Idaho State. The teams play at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Friday in Pocatello, Idaho and noon Saturday. The games are available on ESPN+.
