Cooper reaches landmark, MSUB splits with NNU Saturday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, April 8, 2017 Cooper reaches landmark, MSUB splits with NNU Saturday

Cody Cooper becomes the sixth player in GNAC history to reach 200 career strikeouts, with a dozen in a complete-game win in the opener, but MSUB falls to NNU 8-7 in extra innings in the finale in a doubleheader split Saturday.

NAMPA, Idaho – Cody Cooper became the sixth pitcher in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history to reach 200 career strikeouts on Saturday afternoon, as the Montana State University Billings senior right-hander struck out 12 Northwest Nazarene University hitters and threw a complete game to lead the Yellowjackets to a 14-4 win at Vail Baseball Field.

The Crusaders squeezed out an 8-7, extra-inning victory in Game 2 however, as the teams split the doubleheader, the four-game series, and the 2017 season series. MSUB remained in fourth place in the GNAC standings with an overall record of 13-20 and a line of 11-12 in league play. The Crusaders held on to the No. 2 spot in the league, at 16-18 overall and 14-10 in the GNAC.

“We pitched extremely well in Game 1, and it was good to put up some runs early for Cody,” said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. “I thought all of our hitters never gave in all weekend, and it showed with 25 hits today.”

Conner Linebarger and Casey Merritt each had five hits in the doubleheader, and Jalen Garcia went 4-for-9 while scoring four runs. Casey Sheehan went 4-for-10 with two RBIs and three runs for the home team, which drew nine walks in the second game to pull out the win. “Conner was a tough out all weekend long, and he played good defense,” said Sutton.

“We needed that from him, and he did an outstanding job.”

Game 1 – MSU Billings 14, Northwest Nazarene 4 Cooper had a 7-run lead in his back pocket before throwing the first of his career-high 149 pitches, as MSUB exploded at the plate for seven runs in the top of the first inning.

The senior shook off a run in the bottom of the first, and allowed just one more in the fourth and two in the ninth en route to his longest outing of the season. Cooper earned his first win of the year, scattering 11 hits and walking three batters in nine innings. “That was the Coop of old, and he was the guy we all know he can be today,” Sutton said. “He threw with good confidence today, and there’s a reason he’s on that all-time strikeouts list. He’s a competitor, and it really came out of him today.”

Seniors Zach Robinson and Merritt led off the game with back-to-back doubles and the Yellowjackets never looked back. MSUB had five hits and benefitted from two Crusader errors in the seven-run first, and sent 13 batters to the plate.

The ‘Jackets struck again in the fourth inning, when Tanner Watson and Linebarger had consecutive run-scoring hits with two outs to make it 91. Linebarger finished the game 4-for-5 with three RBIs, and Watson’s three RBIs were the most of his career in a single game.

Senior Casey Merritt had five hits in Saturday’s doubleheader at NNU.

NNU picked up a single run in the bottom of the fourth, on a leadoff solo home run by Sheehan. Cooper struck out a pair in the frame however, part of a stretch where he recorded 7 of 9 outs by way of the strikeout in the second-through-fourth innings.

MSUB matched its highest run total of the year with four more in the top of the seventh, three of which scored on doubles by Watson and Linebarger.

A wild pitch and RBI-single by Sheehan gave NNU its final two runs of the game in the ninth, but Cooper finished what he started and got Jarod Gonzales to ground out and end the game.

The Crusaders utilized five different arms in the opener, with Brennan Patterson contributing 3 1/3 solid innings of work with two runs on three hits and one walk. Starter Adam Paulson gave up all seven runs in the first inning, and was lifted after just 2/3 of an inning.

Five different players had a pair of hits for NNU, which left 10 runners on base in the game. Merritt finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the ‘Jackets, and Ryan Myers drew three walks and scored a team-beset three runs.

Game 2 – Northwest Nazarene 8, MSU Billings 7 (8 Innings) Ending the game in dramatic fashion, NNU’s Kyle Redford drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 7-7 tie and salvage a split for the host.

A pair of walks sandwiched by a single all came with two outs in the eighth, as the Crusaders rallied late to win the game after nearly ending things in regulation.

Hanging on by a thread, the Yellowjackets plated a pair of runs on a throwing error with two outs in the top of the seventh to tie the score at 7-7. Jalen Garcia and Linebarger had moved to second and third on a wild pitch, and when NNU’s second baseman threw a ground ball off the bat of Max Hartgraves past the bag at first, both Yellowjackets scored to even the game.

Merritt, Garcia, and Myers all had a pair of hits in the nightcap, the latter driving his team-leading seventh home run of the year out of the yard to plate three runs and give MSUB a 5-2 lead in the third inning.

The ‘Jackets again struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning, but this time NNU responded and tied the score 2-2 by the end of the frame. Garcia had a sacrifice fly to open the game, and Watson drove in his fourth run of the day to help MSUB get on the board early against NNU starter Brady Baker.

Baker allowed five runs on six hits, with two strikeouts and one walk in 2 2/3 innings in the start. The Crusaders were again quick to respond to the deficit in the third inning, drawing a bases-loaded walk and scoring a second run on an error to pull within one down 5-4.

McCluskey ripped an RBI-double in the bottom of the fourth, and an ensuing sacrifice fly by Billy King gave NNU its first lead of Game 2 up 6-5. After a shutdown inning by Dylan Suppan, Redford drove in his first run of the game with a double in the fifth to increase his team’s lead to 7-5. Suppan wound up with three strong innings of relief, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and just one walk.

Caje Golden gave MSUB a one-out baserunner with a single in the top of the eighth, but the ‘Jackets failed to score before NNU walked off with the win under the lights.

MSUB starter Matt Hape gave up three runs on one hit with one strikeout and two walks in two innings. Steen Fredrickson ate up 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one run on three hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks.

THE BUZZ: Cooper was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…the complete game was the fifth of Cooper’s career and third nine-inning complete game…the 12 strikeouts marked his seventh-career 10-strikeout game, and was his second-highest total ever in a game…Cooper’s personal best for strikeouts in a game is 13, achieved on April 16, 2016 at home against Northwest Nazarene…the seven-run first inning marked the largest single inning of offense for MSUB since an eight-run first inning against Saint Martin’s University on May 5, 2016 in Billings…the all-time series between the teams remains exactly even, with each side having won 44 times…rain showers caused an hour-long delay between games of the doubleheader.

UP NEXT: MSUB returns home for eight straight games at Dehler Park, beginning next week with a four-game set against Western Oregon University. Doubleheaders are scheduled for 1 p.m. on both April 14 and April 15, and live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available online through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

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