BILLINGS, Mont. -- It was an exciting Thursday afternoon for the Montana State Billings softball team as the surging Yellowjackets got a pair of walk-offs to sweep the Great Northwest Athletic Conference leading Wildcats of Central Washington at Cenex Stadium.

 

“Today was a very successful day for Yellowjacket softball,” said interim head coach Lisa Allen. “In the first game (Amanda) Todd did an amazing job of only giving up two hits. She kept their hitters guessing the whole game and kept our team in the game. Jenna (VanEykeren) had a clutch homer, which was great to see out of her. We started off a little slow in the second game, but Kasie (Conder) did a great job of coming into the second inning and shutting them down. Our entire lineup did a great job of putting the ball in play and getting hits with runners in scoring position. I am extremely pleased with how the team played today.”

 

A two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh by junior Jenna VanEykeren gave the Jackets a 3-1 win in game one and snapped a 15-game winning streak by the Wildcats. A wild game two saw the Yellowjackets came back throughout the game and saw a double by senior Kaycee Hoffman score VanEykeren from second for a 9-8 victory.

 

The Yellowjackets improved to 26-20 on the season and are now 21-13 in the conference. The two wins guarantee the Jackets just their fifth winning season in the 10-year history of the program. The wins also extended MSUB's winning streak to seven games as they have now won 11 of their last 13.

 

Bobbie Lee again led the way for the Yellowjackets, going 5-for-8, including 3-for-3 in game one, with a double, a homer and two RBI. Senior Kaycee Hoffman hit .500 on the day, going 4-for-8 with a double and three RBI. Kelly Parsons also went 3-for-6 (.500) on the day.

 

Pitcher Amanda Todd had one of her top outings of the year as the freshman again struck out 11 batters to tie her career-high set last week against Western Oregon. Todd took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game one before it was broken up on a homer by Kelsey Haupert.

 

The Yellowjackets got things started in the first inning as Lee doubled to left field to start the game for MSUB. After taking third on a wild pitch by Lauren Hadenfeld, Lee scored when Becca Frank singled to left and gave the Jackets an early 1-0 lead.

 

Todd got out of a huge jam in the third inning when she walked three straight batters after the first out, but got Haupert to strikeout looking and got Keilani Cruz swinging to end the threat.

 

Todd had struck out nine batters and was carrying a no-no into the sixth when she induced Cruz into a pop up for the first out. In the next at bat against Haupert, a 2-1 pitch was left in the zone and got taken out over the center field fence for the first hit and the tying run.

 

Two quick out for MSUB in the seventh had the game looking like it was going to extras. A Tarn Potter single up the middle kept hope alive as VanEykeren stepped to the plate. As Hadenfeld threw her first pitch, the junior turned on the ball and sent it sailing down the left field line for the game-winner.

 

Todd took the win and improved to 8-6 on the year after throwing a complete game two-hitter. She allowed one run, walked six and struck out 11. Hadenfeld dropped to 18-7 on the season after giving up three runs on eight hits, striking out just three.

 

With the excitement of game one in the rearview, MSUB went to work on the crucial second game. The offensive explosion that was expected to be seen between the two teams all day, only happed in game two. CWU put two runs on the board in the first inning as Haupert hit her second homer of the day off of MSUB starting pitcher, Annaleisha Parsley.

 

The Jackets answered back in the bottom of the frame as Lee and Frank each reached safely in the first two at bats. A double steal would get both runners to third and second with one out. Hoffman then stung a 1-1 pitch up the middle for a two-RBI single and tied the game.

 

After back-to-back homers to lead off the second, Kasie Conder came in for relief duties and didn't allow another run in the inning. She was touched up in the third for another pair of runs as the Wildcats staked out a 6-2 lead.

 

MSUB found a pair of runs in the third as Meg Harasymczuk hit her 13^th home run of the season off the first pitch she saw, scoring Hoffman on the play. The homer cut the deficit back down to 6-4.

 

After another CWU run in the fourth, the Jackets got back in the game in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own. With Potter on third and one, Lee laid into the first pitch and sent it floating out to left center for a two-run homer, her fourth of the season. The third run was on a Nicole Colpron home run to left field, her sixth of the year.

 

Both teams traded runs in the fifth and set the stage for the late-inning heroics in the eighth. After VanEykeren singled to begin the inning, two quick outs looked to threaten the Yellowjacket rally. Colpron singled back up the middle and moved VanEykeren two second. Hoffman then stepped in and took a 2-1 pitch to the gap in left center, allowing VanEykeren to score the winning run and the Jackets to mob Hoffman at second base.

 

Conder took the win in game two, improving to 8-6 on the year. She tossed seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and struck out six. On the other side, Hadenfeld again took the loss to drop to 18-8 on the year as she gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out four.

 

The Yellowjackets had a season-high 18 hits off of Central's pitchers in game two, second most in school history. The two teams combined for 17 runs on 31 hits and had six home runs.