FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, April 23, 2016 Yellowjackets split doubleheader at Concordia to open 9-game road trip
Concordia comes from behind to win Game 1 4-2, but the Yellowjackets rally to split the doubleheader with a 7-3 triumph in Game 2 in Portland on Saturday. PORTLAND, Ore. – A pitcher’s duel between Montana State University Billings senior right-hander Tanner Johnson and Concordia University’s Austin Hadley wound up in the favor of the host by the score of 4-2, but the Yellowjacket offense came alive for a 7-3 win in Game 2 and a doubleheader split on Saturday in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball games at Porter Park. The ‘Jackets led 2-1 through the top of the sixth inning in Game 1, but Concordia rallied to take the series-opener with a run in the bottom of the frame and two more in the eighth. Hadley finished with a 150-pitch complete game for the Cavaliers, and earned his fifth win of the season. MSUB kept its record above .500 with the Game 2 win, as the ‘Jackets are now 19-17 overall and 13-14 in conference play. Concordia moved to 13-27 and 11-19 in the GNAC in its first year competing at the NCAA Division II level. A trio of freshmen highlighted the day’s top performers, as Jared Winslow pitched MSUB to victory and Alec Leighton and Matt Dillon combined for three hits and three runs scored in the nightcap.
“Our starting pitching was great today,” said MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. “Tanner deserved a better result and Jared Winslow was terrific in his first collegiate start. Matt and Alec gave us a much-needed boost offensively.” Adam Cox went 4-for-8 with three RBIs at the plate in the doubleheader, while Luke Reinschmidt scored three runs and recorded his 12th career triple. Game 1 – Concordia 4, MSU Billings 2 Hadley did not allow a baserunner until the fourth inning, when Kyle Durbin broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single to center field. Cox followed with a base hit to left, and Corey Morris made it 1-0 with an RBI-single. Johnson was equally as effective early on, pitching around a base hit in the first and retiring 11 of the first 12 batters he faced. The ‘Cavs threatened to answer in the bottom of the fourth, but Johnson got Mike Martinez to ground out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Back-to-back hits by Cole Crosby and Henry Rondeau evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, as CU capitalized on an MSUB error and scored an unearned run. Cox had his second RBI of the day in the top of the sixth, when he drove in Reinschmidt from second with a base hit into center field. This time, CU was quick to respond as Tanner Williams made it 2-2 with an infield single and two outs in the bottom of the inning. Tanner Johnson threw 7 1/3 solid innings but took a tough loss in a 4-2 Game 1 setback for the ‘Jackets on Saturday.
Hadley worked around one-out walks in the seventh and eighth innings, setting his team up for a chance to break the tie. A wild pitch moved two runners into scoring position with one out in the eighth, and Williams brought home another run with a ground ball on the infield. Adam Taylor followed with a two-out double to left field that made it 4-2, and Hadley made quick work of the ‘Jackets in the ninth to complete the win. MSUB managed just four hits – all singles – off of Concordia’s ace, and left five runners on base in the game. Kyle Henderson was the only player for the ‘Cavs with multiple hits, as both pitchers were on top of their game in the opener. Game 2 – MSU Billings 7, Concordia 3 (7 Innings) A five-run fourth inning helped the ‘Jackets build a 7-0 lead, and Winslow took care of the rest on the mound in his firstever college start. Reinschmidt led off the game with a triple to the cavernous center field, and scored on a ground ball hit by Morris with two outs. MSUB added another run in the second on an RBI-single by Myles Berkram. Leighton doubled to center with one out, and Berkram came through with the big hit with two outs in the inning.
Winslow had four strikeouts in the first three innings, as he blanked CU and gave his team a chance to build an advantage. Kevin Toon led off the fourth with a base hit and five more hits followed to blow the game open. Leighton, Reinschmidt, Durbin, and Cox all had RBIs in the inning, the latter two coming through with two outs. CU finally got to Winslow in the bottom of the frame, but it took an error and a balk to bring across an unearned run and make it 7-1. Quinn Eldridge took over in the top of the fifth and allowed just one baserunner the rest of the game, but by then it was too late as the ‘Cavs failed to put together a comeback. Williams had a bases-loaded single to get one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but Morris picked up a ball in shallow center and fired a strike to Dillon behind the plate to nab the trail runner and end the frame. Pinch hitter Isaias Zerufael lifted a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the seventh to make it 7-3, but MSUB reliever Lee Busto finished the job and struck out Jarren Goddard to end the game. Winslow allowed just one earned run on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks in six innings. MSUB was much more efficient offensively, stranding just four baserunners in the second game of the day. Konner Reddick and Gerhett Moser each had two hits for CU, which left five runners on base in Game 2. THE BUZZ: Winslow was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Toon broke the MSUB career record for putouts, as he had 18 Adam Cox went 4-for-8 at the plate in Saturday’s on the day to push his three-year total to 640…the previous mark of 623 doubleheader split with the Cavaliers. was held by 2015 graduate Blake Loran…Reinschmidt is now two triples shy of the GNAC career record of 14...with the eight strikeouts, Johnson became just the sixth player in MSUB history with 100 career strikeouts, as he now has 105 in just his second season. NEXT UP: The series concludes on Sunday with another 2 p.m. Mountain time doubleheader in Portland. Yellowjacket ace Cody Cooper will get the Game 1 start in the 9-inning/7-inning format, and live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--