Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

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BILLINGS, Mont. – Minus a slight chill in the air, Saturday showed no sign of Friday's main obstacle; poor weather. The Montana State University Billings softball team had no problem getting in their Great Northwest Athletic Conference triple-header with Central Washington University as the Yellowjackets won the series with a 2-1 record on Saturday at Cenex Stadium.
 
MSUB (27-9, 20-4 GNAC) claimed Saturday's first two games 7-5 and 7-2 before Central Washington (13-22, 9-14 GNAC) stunned everybody in attendance with a 12-run second inning in game-three to win the final game 16-1 in five innings. It is the first time this season the Yellowjackets have been run-ruled as MSUB is 6-1 in games this season that have not reached the regulation seven innings.
 
“I'm pleased that we were able to win the series and aside from that one inning in the final game, we played well this weekend,” stated head coach Lisa Allen. “We saw today that just one bad inning can lose a game for us, but we are going to use that as a learning experience and move on from here. Overall this weekend, our offense produced hits, our pitchers did what we asked of them to keep us in games and our defense made plays.”
 
Game 1: MSUB 7, CWU 5 - Boxscore
 
With a little frost still on the field, the two teams kicked off their long day at 10 a.m. Central Washington brought Maria Gau back out to the circle while MSUB turned to freshman Jessyka MacDonald for the series' second game.
 
In the top of the second inning, Heidy Wells gave the Wildcats a short lead with a one-run home run over the centerfield fence, but MacDonald and her defense regained their composure and went on to battle hard to close out the inning.
 
Not the least bit intimidated by a single-run deficit, the Yellowjackets' offense stung in the bottom of the inning with four runs off two hits and a pair of errors to take the lead for good.
 
Brittney Sanders started the scoring drive for MSUB when she doubled to left-center field to drive in Jenna VanEykeren from second and move Taylor Hoke over to third giving her one of her three RBIs. Becca Frank then stepped to the plate and ripped a single to centerfield that gave both Hoke and Sanders enough time to reach the plate.
 
Frank would later score after the Wildcat catcher mishandled a chopped ball by Rose Harrington to move the score to 4-1.
 
In the bottom of the next inning, it was Sanders again who produced a hit to score some runs with a single down the left field line to move Annaleisha Parsley and Emily Osborn across the dish.
 
Down 6-1 and not wanting to be run-ruled for a second game in a row by the 'Jackets, the Wildcats clawed their way back into contention in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs off a Carrina Wagner home run and a Bre Thomas single to score Natasha Wood. They would then tack on another pair of runs in the next inning when Wood knocked a two-run homer over the left field fence.
 
But a Hoke single shot over the center field fence would give the Yellowjackets a little more breathing room and put the score at the final 7-5 despite the Wildcats loading the bases in the top of the seventh. Amanda Todd came in to relieve MacDonald and cleaned house, striking out all three batters she faced to earn her second save of the season and seal MacDonald's fourth victory.
 
Game 2: MSUB 7, CWU 2 - Boxscore
 
MSUB never trailed in the second game behind Todd in the circle despite CWU pulling to within one run in the sixth inning, but a four-run sixth inning for the Yellowjackets all but assured the win.
 
The Yellowjackets edged out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Osborn singled to move Harrington across the plate. Osborn also recorded an RBI in the fifth inning when Bobbie Lee scored off a sacrifice fly to right-center field before VanEykeren raced home on a wild pitch.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, Central's Thomas ripped a home run over the right-center field fence to avoid the shutout and was followed up by Elena Carter knocking a tater of her own to the other side of the field.
 
But MSUB was just too strong on offense at that point as the Yellowjackets pushed their four runs across the plate off an error and a two-run shot over the center field fence by Lee.
 
Todd improved to 6-2 with the win, striking out three batters while Gau suffered her third loss in two days to fall to 7-13. A right-handed sophomore, Gau carried the Wildcats for much of the weekend going 15.1 long innings in the circle with 14 strikeouts.
 
Game 3: CWU 16, MSUB 1 (5 Innings) - Boxscore
 
After having almost everything go their way through the first three games of the series, the Yellowjackets suffered a monumental set-back in the series finale. Already behind 2-0, MSUB gave up 12 more runs in the second inning and then single runs over the third and fourth innings to suffer their first run-rule loss of the season in five innings.
 
MSUB avoided the no-hitter and shutout in the third inning when Nicole Colpron hit her first home run of the season, but other than that, the Yellowjackets were unable to produce enough offense to mount a comeback.
 
Parsley started the game for the Yellowjackets to suffer just her second loss of the season while Wells pitched a complete game for the Wildcats to improve to 3-7.
 
MSUB has one more home doubleheader scheduled before they hit the road for the final time this season. The 'Jackets will welcome the Vikings of Western Washington University to Cenex Stadium for a 1 p.m. twin bill on Thursday, April 12.