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Box Score (Game 2)
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BILLINGS, Mont. – Last-inning heroics by the Montana State Billings baseball team garnered a doubleheader sweep of visiting Northwest Nazarene Saturday afternoon at Dehler Park. Junior Trevor Wilson blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the 13th of the opener for a 4-3 win, followed by a bases loaded, seventh-inning, strikeout, wild pitch to win the nightcap, 2-1.
“I think today was about pitching and competitiveness with Zach, Howe and Hutch throwing like they did, we deserved to get two wins,” MSUB head coach Rob Bishop said. “I thought today we competed much better in the dugout and on the field playing the entire game hard.
The Jackets (16-19, 7-13 GNAC) broke through in the bottom of the second helped out by a strikeout wild pitch by NNU (27-13, 12-12 GNAC) hurler Zeb Sneed. After senior Jeff Ridgeway reached on the strikeout, senior Sam Kinzeler hit a come-backer up the middle and senior Kevin Zukaitis hit a RBI single to right scoring Ridgeway for a 1-0 lead.
A hit batsman and a single by senior Chris Stine put runners at the corners for the Jackets in the fifth with one out. Senior Jordan Kessler hit a bleeder to right for a 2-0 lead plating Rue.
Yellowjacket hurler, junior Zach Smith, was moving along quite smoothly through the first five innings with four strikeouts and not facing more than four batters in any inning. In the sixth, a single and a hit batsman put two on with one out, but Smith turned to second and picked-off Ty Windall followed by his fifth punch out to get out of the frame.
A walk and a double to left center by Windall in the eighth brought a mound visit by Bishop as Smith moved over 100 pitches in the game. Derek Bettinson hit a hard shot to first right off of a diving Kinzeler's glove plating Cameron Louie for a 2-1 score. Ryan VanBeek sacrificed home Windall to tie the game. Smith got out of the inning with no more damage on a bang-bang play at first on a ground out by Logan Parker.
In the top of the ninth, a walk and a RBI single to left by Louie put the Crusaders up 3-2 off Yellowjacket reliever Brian Howe.
MSUB began the bottom of the ninth with a single to left center by Kevin Zukaitis as NNU made a call to the bullpen in favor of Kalen Hruza. Sophomore Austin Rue singled up the middle tying the game at three after pinch-hitter, Riley Rosvold, moved Zukaitis over to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Jackets were unable to get another run across sending the game to extra innings.
A two out single by Colby Robison in the bottom of the 10th put the potential winning run on base. A two base throwing error on Hruza moved Robison to third, but a ground out to short ended the threat.
In the top of the 12th, NNU's Windall hit a ball to deep right and fading towards the foul line. Zukaitis made up a lot of ground in right and tracked down the ball in fair territory making a great catch, while jumping over the foul fence.
Heading into the 13th inning, set the school-record for innings in a game, topping the old mark of 12 innings versus these same NNU Crusaders, Apr. 25, 2008. Howe fanned two in the top of the 13th.
Junior transfer, Trevor Wilson, blasted a walk-off solo home run down the left field line off Patrick Patterson for a 4-3 win in the opener.
“Trevor has big power and we have been waiting for it to show up,” Bishop said. “We see it every day in practice. He has struggled with injuries this year and today was a great moment for him and our team.”
The Jackets were led by two hits each from Stine, Robison, Zukaitis and Rue. NNU was led by a 3 for 5 outing from Bettinson and Windall was 2 for 6.
Howe (2-0) earned the victory in relief going five innings allowing three hits, one earned run, one walk and he fanned four. Smith went a strong eight innings allowing seven hits, two earned runs, two walks and he punched out seven.
Patterson (1-3) took the loss going 2.1 innings allowing two hits, one earned run and he fanned four. Sneed also went eight innings surrendering seven hits, three earned runs and had a game-high 10 strikeouts.
MSUB struck first in the nightcap in the bottom of the second as Robison singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Wilson singled him home for a 1-0 lead.
Hibbard began the fifth with a double to left center followed by a RBI single from Louie for a 1-1 score.
A walk and a single by the Crusaders in the sixth put two on with one out. Yellowjacket junior hurler, Brian Hutchings, came back with two big strikeouts after a meeting with Bishop on the mound to get out of the inning.
A fielder's choice and a single put runners at second and third with one out in the top of the seventh for the Crusaders. A big ground out to third got the Jackets and Hutchings within out of getting out of the jam. A nice dive by Wilson at first to corral the ball and flip to Hutchings got the Jackets out of the inning unscathed.
A lead-off triple by Robison in the bottom of the seventh put the Jackets in a good position to win the nightcap in their last at bat. NNU starter, Charles Pollock, plunked Zukaitis bringing up Wilson who was intentionally walked. The Jackets used Kinzeler as a pinch hitter who struck out, but the ball was errant on the swing, going to the backstop as Robison scored the winning run.
In a game that saw just four Yellowjacket hits, Robison had two of them, including the triple as he scored two runs. Wilson and Rue had the other two hits. Parker and Hibbard led the way for the Crusaders with two hits each.
The game was a pitcher's duel as both hurlers dominated the game. Hutchings (4-3) went the distance allowing seven hits, one earned run, one walk and he fanned seven. Pollock (4-3) went six innings allowing two earned runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
