FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, March 4, 2016 ‘Jackets drop 2 at Central Washington in GNAC opener
MSUB rallies from behind in both games and pushes the tying run to scoring position in Game 2, but Central Washington holds on for a pair of GNAC wins Friday. ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Pushing the tying run into scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Montana State University Billings baseball team came up just short with a four-run rally in Game 2 and lost a pair of games at Central Washington University on the opening day of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at the CWU baseball field Friday. The ‘Jackets twice rallied back from deficits before losing Game 1 8-6, and trailed the Wildcats 8-3 entering the final inning in Game 2. MSUB grinded out four runs and had runners on first and second, but Wildcat closer Travis Cook ended the game with a strikeout to give the home team the sweep. “I am really proud of how the guys fought today, and you just hope that they come out tomorrow ready to fight again,” said MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. “Our guys are tough, competitive, and resilient, but we didn’t play as well as we could today. We didn’t play our best baseball, but our guys are always going to battle.”
MSUB fell to 6-5 with the losses and is now 0-2 in GNAC play. The Wildcats are now 6-4 on the year and are 2-0 in conference games. Kevin Toon, Colter Sternhagen, Casey Merritt, and Kyle Durbin each led the ‘Jackets with three hits on the day, and Sternhagen had three doubles in Game 1. Merritt hit his first home run of the season in Game 2, and Adam Cox also homered on the day in Game 1 with his second of the year. Game 1 – Central Washington 8, MSU Billings 6 Jake Levin put CWU ahead for good with a one-out, 2-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning that made the score 8-6. The big hit came after the Yellowjackets scored three runs to tie the game in the top of the inning, as MSUB scored on a two-run home run by Cox and a groundout by Zach Robinson. It was the second significant deficit MSUB overcame in the game, after trailing 4-0 through the first three innings. Neither starter made it out of the fourth inning, as CWU’s McKenzie Gaul gave up three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Tanner Johnson allowed four runs on four hits, and struck out two with two walks in his shortest outing of the season. Despite their early exits after 3 2/3 innings each, both pitchers allowed just two earned runs and were hampered by poor defense. The ‘Jackets made three errors in the game while CWU made a pair. After a seven-pitch first inning by Johnson, the ‘Jackets threatened in the top of the second. Sternhagen smoked a one-out double high off the wall in left-center, and Durbin followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. Gaul got out of the jam with a strikeout and a Senior Kevin Toon increased his hitting streak to 16 games groundout, and the ‘Jackets stranded a pair. with hits in each of MSUB’s losses Friday.
A double by Dylan Freyer to right brought home the first run of the game in the second inning, as it landed just out of Myles Berkram’s reach. The Wildcats got to Johnson in the third, plating three more runs thanks in large part to a pair of Yellowjacket errors to make the score 4-0. Reid Martinez had the big swing of the bat for the ‘Cats in the inning, bringing around two runs on a base hit into left center. The ‘Jackets countered in the top half of the frame, fighting to beat out ground balls and work their way on base. Sternhagen came through with another big double, and Landon Peterson drove in a run with a fielder’s choice. Both teams had big defensive plays that helped limit the damage in the offensive rallies. Berkram tracked down a deep fly ball hit by Levin on the warning track, and CWU’s Kyle Stahl snagged a line drive off the bat of Corey Morris on the ninth pitch of an extended at bat.
Kyle Blankenship (1-0) retired 10 straight Yellowjackets into the eighth inning, as he was outstanding in 4 1/3 innings of relief. The ‘Cats scored on a sacrifice fly by Martinez in the sixth and a solo home run by Randy Fuller in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead. Sternhagen had an outstanding diving, backhanded stop on a sharp ground ball up the middle, and he flipped it to Morris at short for the third and final out to leave two Wildcats on base in the sixth. MSUB finally got to Blankenship in the eighth, as Cox hit a two-run home run and Sternhagen came around to score on a groundout after his third double. MSUB put the tying run on base after consecutive walks to Berkram and Luke Reinschmidt in the ninth, but Toon ended the game with a loud line drive snagged by Fuller at first base. Game 2 – Central Washington 8, MSU Billings 7 (7 Innings) MSUB’s most impressive rally of the day came up just short, as the tying and go-ahead runs were left on base in the top of the seventh and final inning. Starter Matt Hape tossed 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts. Bryon Baker made a solid 2016 debut in relief, striking out two and allowing no runs in one inning for the ‘Jackets. Levin earned his second victory of the season, throwing six innings and giving up three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
Junior Casey Merritt hit his second career home run in Game 2 on Friday.
A base hit by Merritt to lead off the game ultimately resulted in a run for the ‘Jackets, but Levin left two runners in scoring position with a strikeout and a ground out. The ‘Cats responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but Morris and Sternhagen turned a big inning-ending double play to keep the score at 2-1. Threatening again in the second, Martinez ripped a single into center field that scored Malone. Reinschmidt fired a strike from center through to Landon Peterson however, nailing Dalto at the plate and limiting the damage to one run. Levin settled into a groove, retiring the next eight Yellowjackets and pitched himself to a 4-1 lead through four innings. After retiring the first two batters in the fifth inning, Morris managed a base hit up the middle to bring Merritt to the plate. The junior lifted his second career home run over the fence in right center, keeping the ‘Jackets afloat and cutting the deficit to 6-3. Martinez gave his team enough breathing room to finish the game however, as his two-run single to right proved crucial in creating enough distance for CWU to withstand MSUB’s last-chance rally. Martinez finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and designated hitter Justin Adams also had three hits for the ‘Cats.
THE BUZZ: Sternhagen was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the senior had three doubles last season against Cal Baptist on March 7…Merritt’s other home run also came against the Wildcats last season at home…Reinschmidt knocked in career run No. 100 in Game 2...reliever Lee Busto appeared in both games and has now pitched in 10 of 11 games this year…Toon kept his hitting streak alive, upping it to 16 games with base hits in each game Friday…MSUB had not lost a GNAC doubleheader since last March at Western Oregon, snapping a streak of six straight conference series in which the ‘Jackets had not lost consecutive games on the same day. NEXT UP: The series concludes on Saturday, with another doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m. Mountain time at the CWU Baseball Field. Live video and statistics will be available for Saturday’s games. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--