LACEY, Wash. – The sixth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference series victory for the Montana State University Billings baseball team ended with a dogpile behind the pitcher's mound at the SMU baseball field Saturday, as the Yellowjackets claimed their first-ever GNAC Championship title and earned hosting privileges for the 2015 Championships set to run May 7-8 at Dehler Park in Billings, Mont.
 
The Yellowjackets allowed just one earned run in the four-game sweep of Saint Martin's, and the pitching staff gave up only two runs total while being supported by 21 runs of offense.
 
After Western Oregon lost Game 1 of its doubleheader against Northwest Nazarene in 12 innings Saturday, it set up the Yellowjackets to clinch the regular-season title with the Game 2 victory. The teams entered play Saturday tied for first place in the GNAC standings at 20-10.
 
MSUB improved to 27-21 on the season and finished conference play 22-10 with the wins. SMU wrapped up its season 16-32, and finished 8-24 in conference play.
 
"I don't know if it has really sunk in yet," commented MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. "My favorite part is watching how guys respond, and seeing a dogpile somewhere on the field is the best feeling in the world for a coach. The best part about this team is how loose they are, and they bring intensity and play the game hard. We didn't see anyone trying to do more than what they were capable of. Everyone played their game, it was quite a series."
 
In Game 1, Tanner Johnson pitched into the eighth inning, striking out five and walking just two while scattering 10 hits and allowing one run. Lee Busto shut down SMU over the final two innings with two strikeouts and no walks, solidifying Johnson's sixth win of the season.
 
"When Tanner is doing what he's capable of, he is as good as any pitcher we have seen or faced," Bishop said. "He is just a terrific competitor. We know how important a Game 1 starter is in terms of keeping us out of our bullpen and not getting over-extended."
 
 
Jake Mills threw six stellar innings in relief to win Game 2, striking out five and walking just one as he capped off MSUB's historic pitching weekend.
 
Six Yellowjackets had multiple hits in Game 1 as MSUB outhit the Saints 15-12, and Trevor Nix and Luke Reinschmidt each had four hits on the day. Nix, the reigning National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association West Region Player of the Week, hit his second home run of the series and drove in a pair of runs.
 
MSUB turned six double plays in the series, five of which ended innings and two of which ended games. The Yellowjackets also set a GNAC record for fewest runs allowed in a four-game conference series with two. Western Oregon had allowed three runs in a four-game series on two occasions, once in 2011 against MSUB and once in 2003 against Saint Martin's.
 
"We only allowed one earned run, and we did a little bit of everything," said Bishop. "We pitched well, defended well, ran the bases well, and swung the bats. We stayed within our approach all the way through from the start to the end of the series."
 
Game 1 – MSU Billings 9, Saint Martin's 1
 
The reigning GNAC Pitcher of the Week, Johnson stayed true to form as he again pitched into the eighth inning.
 
SMU starter Zach Carter cruised through the Yellowjackets' order in the first, retiring the side in order with a strikeout, a groundout and a fly out.
 
Travis Shaw and Chandler Tracy had back-to-back singles up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the frame, but Johnson struck out Carl Svanevik to strand the runners on the corners.
 
Nix led off the top of the second with a solo blast to give MSUB its first hit and run of the game. After Reinschmidt singled and advanced to third, Conner Holbrook stepped up with a big two-out, RBI-single into right-center that came on an 0-2 pitch and doubled MSUB's lead.
 
Adam Eskil and Kameron Banister led off the second with singles, but Johnson struck out the next two batters. David Bellamy ripped a hard ground ball to Morris at short, who knocked it down with his chest, and flipped to Miller at second just in time to end the inning.
 
With two outs in the fourth, Bellamy stepped to the plate with runners on the corners. His harmless fly ball to left field stranded the runners, and kept the lead in MSUB's hands.
 
The 'Jackets responded with a loud rally in the top of the fifth, as five different players had RBIs in the six-run frame.
 
MSUB added one more run in the seventh on a Holbrook RBI-single, putting the game out of reach.
 
Carter threw 150 pitches and lasted into the ninth inning, breaking the GNAC career record for innings pitched with 285 2/3 over his four years.
 
Game 2 – MSU Billings 5, Saint Martin's 0
 
MSUB got on the board right off the bat, as a double by Nix and a two-out, two-run single by Morris made it 3-0 Yellowjackets in the first inning.
 
Entering the game with runners on first and second and no outs in the second, Mills retired the side in order to get MSUB out of a jam.
 
Leading off the third with a sharp ground ball up the middle, SMU second baseman Kaelen Hirashiki took away a base hit from Kevin Toon with a jump-throw that just beat MSUB's first baseman to the bag.
 
The 'Jackets still managed a run in the frame, as Morris lifted a fly ball to right deep enough to score Nix after he and Reinschmidt had consecutive singles.
 
SMU put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the third, but Miller, Morris and Toon connected for an inning-ending double play.
 
Miller made it 5-0 in the fourth with an RBI-double, and was cut down at third for the final out as Hirashiki prevented a triple with a perfect relay throw.
 
The rest of the way, the Saints managed just one hit and one walk off of Mills, who finished his six dominant frames and sent the 'Jackets into a wild celebration behind the mound after the final out.
 
"We were hoping Jake would get us into the fifth, but he was throwing the ball too well to take him out," Bishop said. "He had command of every pitch, and it was a tremendous outing from him. Getting to be standing on the mound when the last pitch is thrown is quite a feeling."
 
THE BUZZ: MSUB did not make an error on Saturday, and made only three in the series…MSUB had 38 hits in the series, and left 36 runners on base…Casey Merritt and Reinschmidt tied for the team high with six hits apiece for MSUB in the series…Holbrook and Morris led the team in RBIs with four apiece…Morris made 19 errorless plays at shortstop, and has not made an error in his last 13 games which includes 70 total chances…Johnson was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day for his outstanding outing on the mound.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets will host and serve as the No. 1 seed at the 2015 GNAC Championships, which will run May 7-8 at Dehler Park in Billings, Mont. The tournament is a double-elimination, round robin format, with each team scheduled to play two games on Day 1.
 
2015 GNAC Championships
Dehler Park, Billings, MT
 
Thursday, May 7, 2015 (all times Mountain Standard)
1 p.m. – #3 Northwest Nazarene vs. #2 Western Oregon
4 p.m. – #3 Northwest Nazarene vs. #1 MSU Billings
7 p.m. – #2 Western Oregon vs. #1 MSU Billings
 
Friday, May 8, 2015 (times TBA)
TBA vs. TBA
TBA vs. TBA