Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Billings, Mont. – Montana State Billings baseball team dropped the first two games in the series against Western Oregon, 2-3 and 1-7. The Yellowjackets now fall to 2-13-1 overall and 0-2 in the GNAC.
 
Game 1: WOU 3 MSUB 2
 
MSUB out hit the reigning GNAC champion 9-4, but were unable to generate runs until the final inning. Western Oregon took a 3-0 lead at the bottom of the third inning; with Daniel McNabb scoring off a Blake Miller single to left field and Miller and Chris Bradshaw crossing on a Tim Rausch single and throwing error by Colter Sternhagen.
 
Spencer Watkins started on the mound for the Wolves and kept the Yellowjackets scoreless through eight innings. He finished with six strikeouts while facing 30 batters, and advances to 2-2 on the season.
 
Down 3-0 heading into the top of the ninth, Sternhagen singled to left field, bringing Drew Fosnes and Colby Robison home to come within one (3-2) of Western Oregon's lead. The Yellowjackets late game charge would be cut short as Kody Stone struck out Brody Miller, leaving three on base, as the Wolves escaped with the win.
 
Brady Muller got the start for MSUB and finished with four strikeouts while only allowing three hits in six innings of work. He falls to 1-2 on the year. Lee Busto also saw time on the mound, pitching two innings and recording one strikeout.
 
At the plate Bryce Todd went 2-4 on the evening, recording one double. Sternhagen finished 1-3 with two runs batted in.
 
Miller played well for the Wolves, going 2-4 while batting in one run and scoring another.
 
Game: WOU 7 MSUB 1
 
The Yellowjackets scored the game's first run in the top of second, as Mack Unruh crossed on an Orrin Pyrah single to left field. Western Oregon countered with two runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for the Wolves.
 
Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of the sixth; when Western Oregon scored five runs to push their lead to 7-1.
 
MSUB would not be able to counter, as they went three up, three down in the top of the seventh. The Yellowjackets did not hit as well as the first game, only recording four hits compared to the Western Oregon's eight.
 
Unruh had a solid performance; finishing 2-3 with one double, scoring the team's only run. Samuel Paterson made his fourth start of the year, and falls to 1-3. He pitched five innings and recorded three strikeouts.
 
Gary Steindorf started for the Wolves and notched his second win of the season. He pitched all seven innings and recorded a game high four strikeouts. Bradshaw and Miller turned in quality numbers at the plate, combing for four hits, two runs batted in and one run scored.
 
“We had a chance to win both games today,” stated head coach Rob Bishop. “We needed a big two out hit and it just didn't come; we will come back tomorrow ready to compete.”
 
The Yellowjackets and Western Oregon will resume their series Sunday, March 3 at 12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).
 
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