Softball became a contact sport for Jen Buening Friday.
The Billings Senior center fielder was involved in two outfield collisions but escaped unscathed, as did the Broncs.
Senior swept Great Falls CMR, 11-1 and 4-2, at Central Park.
Buening ended the five-hour doubleheader - which included an hour rain delay - by catching the final out off the bat of CMR's Brittni Funderburk. Left fielder Meghan Mahar thought she had a bead on the ball hit to left-center, only to crash into Buening and send the two to the ground.
The ball stayed in Buening's glove, however.
"Just a little communication problem right there," said Buening, who drove in a run with a double in the second inning for a 4-0 Broncs' lead. "We were just being aggressive. We both wanted it."
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The play leading to the first collision had the potential to turn the game into CMR's favor. The Rustlers had the bases loaded with two out, trailing 4-1 in the third inning. Janna Reynolds hit a fly ball into short right-center, just about equal distance between Buening and her twin sister Sarah. As Sarah made a sliding catch to end the inning and preserve the lead, Jen slid into the right fielder. Both picked themselves up after the play, although Jen stayed on the ground a little longer.
Jen Buening attributed that mishap to simple sisterly competition.
"I thought it was mine, and she thought it was hers," she said, smiling.
Sophomore pitcher Kelly Marquardt went the distance to pick up the win in her first start of the season for Senior and only her second appearance on the mound.
"She's a good pitcher," senior coach Dave Draeger said. "She's worked really hard in the off-season to get where she's at."
The first game, which started despite a slight rain, had little of the second game's dramatics.
With the help of a two-run single by Natalie Solomon, Senior built a 3-0 lead in the first inning. CMR closed to within 3-1 in the top of the third and had runners on the corners with none out, but that's when heavier rain came, and the umpires pulled the teams from the field.
When play resumed, Senior pitcher Kristy Marquardt walked the first hitter she faced to load the bases.
Broncs coach Dave Draeger then brought in Rachel Quarnburg to pitch, and she made a snabbing grab on a line drive back to the mound from Reynolds for the first out. Quarnburg then struck out Rachael Turner and Jodi Mahoney to end the threat.
"She just took over the game," CMR coach Roger Spring said of Quarnburg's appearance. "It's pretty to watch. I hate to see it as a coach of the opposing team, but it's pretty to watch."
Senior scored eight runs in the game's final three innings to end the game in the bottom of the sixth because of the 10-run rule.
The sweep gave Senior (10-1) a 10-game winning streak and left them unbeaten (4-0) in the Eastern AA. The Broncs will play Great Falls High today in a doubleheader at Central Park beginning at 11 a.m.
CMR (3-7, 2-4) will stay in Billings and play Skyview in an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Skyview.
Game 1 Senior 11, CMR 1
| CMR | 001 | 000 | - | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Senior | 300 | 224 | - | 11 | 16 | 1 |
Tiffinie McKnight and Erin Myers; Kristi Marquardt, Rachel Quarnburg (3) and Andrea Thorson. W-Marquardt (5-0). L-McKnight. S-Quarnburg.
CMR: Christy Wankel 1-3, Erin Myers 1-3, Brittni Funderburk 2-3, Haley VanHeel 0-2, Janna Reynolds 1-3, Rachael Turner 0-3, Jodi Mahoney 1-3, Kristi Sidor 1-3, Tiffinie McKnight 0-2.
Senior: Sara Tuomi 2-4, Jen Buening 2-4, Rachel Quarnburg 2-4, Andrea Thorson 1-2, Natalie Solomon 3-4, Shannon Harvey 0-1, Ann Thompson 2-3, Kristi Marquardt 0-0, Melissa Dillon 1-3, Jenna Haacke 1-4, Sarah Buening 2-3. 2B-Quarnburg, Thorson, Thompson, Dillon. RBI-J. Buening, Thorson, Solomon 3, Thompson, Dillon 2, S. Buening.
Game 2 Senior 4, CMR 2
| CMR | 001 | 001 | 0 | - | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| Senior | 310 | 000 | x | - | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Jessica Frank and Erin Myers; Kelly Marquardt and Andrea Thorson, Kendra Vandersnick (6). W-Marquardt (1-0). L-Frank.
CMR (3-7, 2-4): Christy Wankel 1-5, Erin Myers 2-3, Brittni Funderburk 0-3, Janna Reynolds 0-3, Haley VanHeel 1-3, Jessica Frank 1-3, Jessica Anderson 2-3, Rachael Turner 1-3, Breanne Ojala 1-3. 2B-Wankel, VanHeel, Frank. RBI-Myers, Frank.
Senior (10-1, 4-0): Sara Tuomi 1-3, Jetton Meadors 0-1, Jen Buening 1-3, Rachel Quarnburg 1-3, Andrea Thorson 0-3, Sarah Buening 0-2, Kelly Marquardt 1-3, Ann Thompson 2-3, Meghan Mahar 0-3, Jenna Haacke 1-3. 2B-Tuomi, J. Buening, Haacke. RBI-J. Buening, Quarnburg, Thompson.
