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BILLINGS, Mont. – All the Montana State University Billings softball team wanted Saturday was one win to be able to continue their season into post-season for their five seniors. The Yellowjackets got that win in game-two on “Senior Day” as they battled back from a 19-11 set-back in game-one to claim the pivotal 8-3 win in game-two over the visiting Clan of Simon Fraser University.
 
With the lone win, MSUB (32-16, 25-11 GNAC) won the 2012 Great Northwest Athletic Conference title by one game over Simon Fraser (32-13, 24-12 GNAC) and was also awarded the GNAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II West Regional. Saint Martin's University lost their second game on Saturday afternoon to Northwest Nazarene University prior to the start of MSUB's second game, handing the Yellowjackets the spot in the West Regional, but the 'Jackets wanted to move on to the post-season on their own terms with the league crown in hand.
 
“I would first like to say 'Congratulations' to our seniors and let them know that we are proud of them for what they have accomplished and where they have led this team,” said head softball coach Lisa Allen. “Our offense did an amazing job today on getting hits and putting pressure on Simon Fraser's defense to score runs all day. In the first game our pitching and defense really struggled, but in the second game Kasie (Conder) did a great job on the mound and our defense did a terrific job behind her. I couldn't be more proud of this team for turning it around today and accomplishing everything they did this season.”
 
Game One: SFU 19, MSUB 11
 
The first game saw 13 errors as both teams battled the elements that included wind gusts that reached over 50 miles per hour according to the National Weather Service. The two quads also combined for 24 hits and 30 runs scored in the day's first game that lasted just over three hours.
 
The Clan began their assault early with two runs in the first inning followed by five more in the second and six in the third as the Yellowjackets struggled to keep up with three runs over the first two innings.
 
MSUB finally held SFU to two straight scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, but the damage was already done. The 'Jackets were able to avoid being run-ruled by the Clan in the fifth inning when freshman catcher Brittney Sanders singled to left-center field to score Olivia Heidinger.
 
After a Simon Fraser run in the sixth, three Yellowjacket seniors stole the show and battled hard to keep the game alive. Bobbie Lee ripped her first home run of the day over the right-center field fence before second baseman Jenna VanEykeren smashed a double to nearly the same spot, scoring Meg Harasymczuk from second to pull within six.
 
But that would be as close as MSUB could come in game-one as the Clan belted out several more well-placed hits that scored five more runs in the top of the seventh inning.
 
Lee made one final attempt to keep the scoring drive alive for the Yellowjackets in the bottom of the inning when she sent another ball on a ride over the same spot. This time, Lee was joined at the plate by Sanders and Becca Frank, but the drive would end there.
 
Sanders ended the game 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored while Lee and VanEykeren were the only other two Yellowjacktes to record multiple hits in the day's opening contest.
 
Freshman Jessyca MacDonald accepted the loss in the circle for MSUB, striking out three, but the freshman right-hander gave up seven runs to move to 6-3 for the year.
 
Cara Lukawesky pitched all seven innings for Simon Fraser to claim her 20^th win of the season.
 
Game Two: MSUB 8, SFU 3
 
The second game saw a much more focused MSUB squad on both sides of the ball; the 'Jackets committed just one error in the second game and dished out 11 hits in the night-cap.
 
Junior Rose Harrington was just one home run away from batting the cycle as she went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. The right fielder started things off with a triple to score Lee in the first inning, then knocked a single in the third inning and finally a double in the fourth.
 
Once again, the Clan was able to edge out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but MSUB answered quickly with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning.
 
The Yellowjackets' defense then held Simon Fraser scoreless through four innings, including two-straight three-up, three-down innings in the fourth and fifth stanzas.
 
Freshman first baseman Emily Osborn tacked on three more runs for the 'Jackets in the third inning when she ripped a three-run line drive over the center field fence to score both Lee and Harrington.
 
VanEykeren then added the Yellowjackets' 59^th team home run, her fifth of the season, in the fifth inning to sweeten the deal a little and drive fellow senior Harasymczuk across the dish.
 
Trisha Bouchard gave the Clan one final run in the sixth inning, but that was all Simon Fraser could score off Kasie Conder and the stifling MSUB defense which held the Clan to just five hits in the second game.
 
Conder improved to 7-3 for the season with her sixth complete game of the year. The junior retired five batters while Kelsie Hawkins was saddled with the loss.
 
MSUB will now wait until Monday morning to find out where they will be traveling for the NCAA Division II West Regional. The teams participating and the locations will be announced via web stream on www.ncaa.com at 8 a.m. Mountain time.
 
The West Region will be divided into two pods with four teams traveling to the No. 1 seed's home field and the other four teams making the trek to the No. 2 seed's location. The Yellowjackets were sixth in the final regular-season poll and were the only GNAC squad in the top-eight while Saint Martin's came in at No. 10.