MISSOULA, Mont. – The Utah Valley University softball team dropped game one of a three-game non-conference series at Montana, 7-3, on Thursday afternoon at Grizzly Softball Field.
 
UVU drops to 7-13 on the season with the setback, while the defending Big Sky champion Grizzlies improve to 10-17 with the victory.
 
The Wolverines jumped out to an early advantage in the ballgame thanks to putting up a two-spot in the top of the first inning. With Karly Bunderson standing on second after a single and a stolen base, Brianna Moeller then singled to left and Bunderson came around to score on a Montana fielding error to make it 1-0. Peyton Angulo then followed with a sacrifice fly to left to drive home Moeller and make it 2-0.
 
The contest remained 2-0 until the last of the third when the Grizzlies managed to respond with five runs of their own to take a 5-2 advantage. Delene Colburn, Ashlyn Lyons, Jessica McAliser and Lexi Knauss all drove home runs in the inning for Montana.
 
The Grizzlies then tacked on two more runs in the fourth on back-to-back solo home runs from Colburn and Lyons to give UM a 7-2 lead.
 
UVU picked up a run of its own in the sixth to make it 7-3, but it wasn't enough as Montana managed to hold on for the 7-3 victory. Basia Query delivered the RBI knock for the Wolverines in the inning with a triple to right that scored Angulo, who had reached base earlier in the frame on a fielder's choice.
 
Montana's Colleen Driscoll went the distance in the circle to improve to 3-3 on the year, while Lauren Frailey Spendlove (1-2) suffered the loss for the Wolverines after allowing five runs on seven hits in 2.1 innings of work.
  
Moeller paced the UVU offense in the contest by going 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Angulo posted a 1-for-2 outing with a run scored and a run batted in and Bunderson went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base. Lyons led Montana by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.   
 
The non-conference series will continue on Friday with game number two. The contest will once again begin at 4 p.m. MT at UM's Grizzly Softball Field, while Saturday's finale is slated for noon MT.