BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Montana State Billings softball team increased their longest winning streak of the year to five games and broke the Great Northwest Athletic Conference single-season home run mark in a doubleheader sweep of Western Oregon Saturday afternoon at Cenex Stadium.

 

“We played extremely well today,” said interim head coach Lisa Allen. “(Amanda) Todd threw a great game today and had very good control of all of her pitchers. Our offense did a great job of playing small ball today and taking advantage of opportunities when they were handed to us. We're continuing to play with some momentum and now we have to keep that going as we get ready for these last four regular season games next week.”

 

The Yellowjackets improved to 24-20 on the season and are now 19-13 in conference play. The Wolves fell to 12-28 on the year and are 9-19 in the conference.

 

Freshman Amanda Todd was the bright spot in the pitching staff today, striking out a career-high 11 batters, while Becca Frank led the way offensively, going 5-for-7 with four runs scored, a triple, a home run and two runs batted in. Her home run in the first game was the 56^th home run for the Yellowjackets who broke the old single-season mark of 55 set by Humboldt State in 2006.

 

The Yellowjackets took advantage of two errors by the Wolves to put the first two batters on base in the first inning of game one. Nicole Colpron laid down a perfect bunt that brought Bobbie Lee in from third to score the first run of the game, but that's all MSUB could scratch across as they left the bases full.

 

After the Wolves scored the tying run in the third, the Jackets again cashed in on a pair of WOU errors. With two and nobody out, Kaycee Hoffman singled to short, scoring Frank from third to break the deadlock.

 

The next run came on a throwing error by the pitcher as Madison Smith ground back up the middle but the throw to the plate was low and slipped past the catcher. In the next at bat, Tarn Potter reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing Kelly Parsons and Hoffman to score, stretching the MSUB lead to 5-1.

 

WOU would score another run in the fourth, but the Jackets had the answer in the bottom of the inning when Frank sent the record setting shot for the Yellowjackets over the left field fence on a 0-2 pitch.

 

The Wolves scratched across a run in the top of the seventh, but Todd finished the game with her 11^th strikeout of the game. The freshman improved to 7-6 on the year, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and striking out 11 to celebrate her 19^th birthday.

 

The Yellowjackets picked up where they left off in game two, scoring two quick runs in the first inning to stake out an early 2-0 lead. Hoffman began the scoring with an RBI sacrifice to right field that scored Lee on the play. Frank later came in when a wild pitch went all the way to the back stop and allowed the speedy sophomore to score.

 

The Wolves answered back in the top of the second with a two-run homer, but MSUB had an answer in the third. After Lee walked to lead-off the inning, Frank tripled to left field, scoring Lee on the play. In the next at bat, Colpron hit a bomb to, her fifth of the season, to increase the lead to 5-2.

 

WOU again had a two-run homer in the fourth to cut the lead to 5-4, but the Jackets tallied another three-run inning in the fifth. After putting two runners on with one out in the inning, Meg Harasymczuk hit her 12^th home run of the season to stretch the lead to 8-4.

 

Kasie Conder came in for the final three outs of the game, striking out the side to end the game. Parsely took the win to improve to 10-9 on the year, tossing six complete innings with four runs on six hits and six strikeouts.

 

The Yellowjackets will conclude the regular season next weekend with a pair of doulbeheaders Thursday and Saturday afternoon. The Jackets play host to Central Washington Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Cenex Stadium and will then host Northwest Nazarene for senior day on Saturday at 1 p.m.