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BILLINGS, Mont. – As soon as Jordan Carlson made contact with the ball, the crowd was cheering as they watched the ball sail into left-centerfield and safely bounce off the wall and into the dirt of the warning track. The walk-off double in game-two gave Montana State University Billings the series win over Central Washington University as the Yellowjackets split their Saturday doubleheader 15-12 and 6-5 with the Wildcats at Dehler Park.
 
It was the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference series win for MSUB this season and after the twin bill, the 'Jackets improve to an even 11-11 for the year and are remain in contention in the league race with a 4-6 GNAC record.
 
Following their three losses and single win over the two-day series, Central Washington moves to 10-14 overall and 6-6 in the league.
 
“I am very proud of our team,” head skipper Rob Bishop said following the second game. “Winnings two games I our last at bat tells a lot about our fighting spirit. (Matt) Comer had a huge day for us and having him back in the lineup changes our team.”
 
Game 1: CWU – 15, MSUB – 12
 
In the first game of Saturday's GNAC doubleheader, the Yellowjackets edged out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when lead-off man Ty Gilmore scored off a single by Matt Comer. Comer would go on to have the most prolific day for the 'Jackets.
 
However, the 'Jackets would lose the lead in the top of the next inning as the Wildcats' bats heated up. CWU tallied three runs before hanging another six on the Yellowjackets in the fourth inning.
 
Central Washington was able to add another six before the end of the game and appeared to be in control of the progress of the game, allowing MSUB to score just three runs in the same span of time.
 
Down 15-4, the Yellowjackets turned up the heat in the final two innings. MSUB scored five runs in the eighth frame before attempting to continue the come-back with another three innings in the final half of an inning, but it was a matter of too-little, too-late.
 
Devon Hedin and Carlson came in late in the game to spark the come-back attempt with each recording a 2-for-2 performance at the plate. Hedin scored two runs while Carlson had one run scored and batted in another two.
 
Comer ended the first game with three RBIs while Gilmore, Colby Robison and Blake Nelson all crossed the plate twice.
 
Brady Kncannon and David Leid led the way for CWU with 3-for-4 outings. Kincannon scored a team-high four runs while Leid scored three himself and batted in another four, three off his home run in the second inning.
 
Central Washington avoided the sweep behind Jason Lotzer's (2-1) 7.1 innings of work and four strikeouts. Samuel Paterson (1-4) suffered the loss on the mound for MSUB after just over three innings of work.
 
Game 2: MSUB – 6, CWU – 5
 
The second game started off eerily similar to the first game with MSUB kicking things off with by scoring the first run in the bottom of the first inning when Comer knocked the first of his two home runs.
 
Comer would record another home run, a two-run tater, in the third inning as the Yellowjackets edged further ahead of the Wildcats 4-1. He ended the game with a 3-for-4 performance that included scoring three runs and knocking in another three.
 
But the lead would not last for long as Central Washington recorded four runs in the fifth stanza off five hits to move ahead 5-4.
 
The Yellowjackets would not be denied and began to make contact with anything that came close over the final two innings, attempting to overcome the deficit to win the series.
 
In the bottom of the seventh inning, in their final attempt to win the game, Brody Miller and Comer each led off with hits and were moved into scoring position by Robison's sacrifice bunt. Robison would be the only out of the inning as Blake Nelson was intentionally walked by CWU's Ryan Hastings.
 
With the bases loaded and only one out, Carlson stepped up to the plate and watched the first strike go by before taking a strong hack and knocking in the needed two runs to win the game with his walk-off double to left-centerfield.
 
Bobby Ragasa  (1-0) earned the win on the mound for MSUB, his first decision of the year, while Hastings (1-2) went the entire game to suffer the loss.
 
MSUB ended their eight-game home stand with a 7-1 record. The 'Jackets will now hit the road to start off the month of April with a four-game series in Monmouth, Ore. where they will take on the nationally-ranked Wolves of Western Oregon University. The series will commence with 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 7 before closing out the series with a high-noon doubleheader on Sunday, April 8.