Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BILLINGS, Mont. – Friday's nightcap was supposed to go just seven innings, but neither team could find the go-ahead run as the second game of Friday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader continued into the 14^th inning to match the GNAC record for longest league game. The Montana State Billings baseball team would eventually claim the 6-5 win in the four-hour-45-minute game off a one-out squeeze bunt laid down by Blake Loran after Northwest Nazarene University took game-one 12-5.
 
The second game of Friday's twinbill between the Yellowjackets (17-19, 8-14 GNAC) and Crusaders (21-18, 10-12 GNAC) equaled the record number of innings played last season on March 5, 2011 when Western Oregon University defeated Central Washington University 4-3 in 14 innings.
 
Game One: NNU 12, MSUB 5
 
NNU never trailed in the day's opener as the Crusaders put up three runs in the first inning off three hits and two 'Jacket errors. NNU would add another two in the second inning to go up 5-0 before MSUB could find an answer with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom of the second.
 
NNU would slowly pad their lead with another run in the third, four more in the fifth and a final two runs in the top of the ninth frame while MSUB struggled to find some offense, eventually scoring three runs in the seventh.
 
MSUB's shortstop Colby Robison and his counterpart at NNU, Ben Clare, led the way for their teams with 2-for-4 performances at the dish. Both also recorded three runs batted in and scored one run each.
 
In a battle between two pitchers with almost the same last name, Patrick Patterson (4-1) claimed the win on the mound for the Crusaders while Samuel Paterson (1-7) suffered the loss for the Yellowjackets. NNU's Patterson fanned six batters in his 6.2 innings of work.
 
Game Two: MSUB 6, NNU 5 (14 Innings)
 
The Yellowjackets were able to ease out to an early one-run lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Crusaders' bats carried over from the first game. NNU eventually tied the game at one-all in the third inning before claiming a 5-1 lead off four runs in the fourth.
 
MSUB would use a bit slower approach to knot the score again by chipping away with two runs in the fifth and another two in the sixth.
 
That would be the last time either team would score until seven innings later. Both teams had their opportunities with runners on the bases to claim the lead, but both pitching staffs and defenses stepped up when called upon.
 
After MSUB retired NNU's final three batters in order behind Bobby Ragasa in the top of the fourth inning, the Yellowjackets would sting. Blake Nelson started things off with a one-out single and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch.
 
Brody Miller was then walked by NNU's Barrett Nielson before Jordan Carlson loaded the bases when he sent a shot that the second baseman mishandled.
 
NNU attempted to take advantage of a lefty-versus-lefty situation by putting in Ryan Brown to face Loran, but the sophomore from Billings, Mont. laid down a beautiful squeeze bunt at the same time as all three base runners took off to score Nelson and give MSUB the extra-inning win.
 
Freshman Ty Gilmore was the most prolific Yellowjacket at the dish aside from Loran's bunt. Gilmore went 4-7 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
MSUB utilized their deep pitching corps by calling on four different hurlers who combined to strike out 14 batters. It was junior right-hander Bobby Ragasa who went the final five innings to claim his third win of the season after fanning five.
 
NNU used just as many pitchers, but it was Nielson who went just a third of an inning who took the loss for the Crusaders.
 
The two teams will meet for one final time this season tomorrowat Dehler Park. The Saturday twinbill between the two will get underway with a nine-inning game at 1 p.m. The second game is scheduled to go just seven innings shortly after the conclusion of the first.