Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BILLINGS, Mont. - The Montana State University Billings Baseball team earned a split in games one and two of a four games series against Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe, Northwest Nazarene University.   The Jackets took game one 16-7 but then lost in game two 3-6.  Games three and four have been postponed due to bad weather.
 
GAME 1: MSUB 16 NNU 7-Reinschmidt hits for the cycle
 
The Yellowjackets were dominate in game one as the produced their highest run total of the season thus far.  They were led by Luke Reinschmidt who hit a home run, a triple, a double and a single to complete the cycle.  Reinschmidt becomes just the fourth player in GNAC history to do so.  He hit the double in the first inning that scored Steven DeYoung from second base for the final run of the inning. 
 
DeYoung had also hit a double with the bases loaded in the first inning.  The shot to left field cleared all the bases giving DeYoung three RBI's.  MSUB scored a total of six runs on five hits in the first inning to take a commanding 6-0 lead.    
 MSUB added three more runs in the second inning.  Drew Fosnes hit a double down the right field line that allowed Kevin Toon and Brody Miller to cross home plate.  Two batters later, Fosnes was able to score on a Trevor Nix sacrifice fly to center field to extend the MSUB advantage 9-0.
 
NNU scored two runs in the second inning to cut the deficit to 9-2.
 
Reinschmidt hit his single in the third inning but MSUB did not score any runs that half inning.  In the fifth inning, Reinschmidt hit his first homerun of the season deep to right field.  It was the only run of the inning scored by MSUB and pushed their lead to 10-2.
 
The Crusaders answered right back as they scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull within striking distance 10-7.
 
The Yellowjackets added two runs in the eighth inning when Fosnes filed out to center field but hit it far enough that Miller was able to tag-up and score from third.  The very next batter, Brad Birch, singled through the left side which allowed Toon to reach home from second base.
 
With the score 12-5 in favor of MSUB heading into the ninth inning, MSUB needed to add on a few more runs to gain even more separation from NNU who already put up five runs in an inning earlier in the game.
 
MSU-Billings would score four more runs in the ninth inning to put the game on ice.  Reinschmidt completed the cycle with a triple hit to right center field which allowed Casey Merritt to score from first as he had been walked prior to Reinschmidt's at bat. 
 
Two batters later, Toon laced a single to right field and pushed Reinschmidt across home plate.  With the bases full, Blake Loran stepped to the plate and was subsequently walked giving Bret Bitow a free stroll home.  The last run of the game came when Birch singled to second base allowing Loran to score.
 
Jordan Knoll came in to close out the game in the bottom of the ninth for MSUB.  Knoll went three up and three down to secure the MSUB victory 16-7. 
 
Matt Eames started from the hill for MSUB going 4.0 innings allowing six hits and five runs while striking out two Crusaders.  Joe Andriolo came in for Eames and recived the win as he went 1.1 innings allowing three hits and two runs.  Jake Mills came in relief of Andriolo and put in 2.2 innings of work allowing just two hits and no runs. 
 
 
GAME 2: MSUB 3 NNU 6
 
NNU received great production from their starting pitcher, Aaron Vaughn who pitched 6.0 of 7.0 innings allowing six hits and three runs while striking out eighth Jackets.
 
MSUB could not seem to find their rhythm against Vaughn as they scored 13 less runs then in game one. 
 
The Jackets did strike first in the second inning when Casey Merritt hit a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Brad Birch to score from third base.
 
NNU took the lead in the second inning scoring three runs and would not trail the rest of the way.
 
MSUB cut into the Crusader lead 2-3 lead in the fourth inning when Bret Bitow hit a torched a single to third base pushing Birch across home from third base.
 
Nazarene tacked on two more runs in fourth inning to extend their lead 5-2.
 
It was again Bitow, singling to left field this time, who batted in another run again scoring Birch from third base to chip away at the NNU lead 3-5.
 
The Crusaders added one more run in the sixth inning and then got some help from MSUB who could not muster anymore runs in the top of the seventh, while leaving two runners on base, to give NNU the 6-3 win in game two.
 
Bryon Baker started game two from the mound for MSUB.  He went 2.2 innings allowing four hits and three runs while striking out three batters.  Cody Cooper came in relief of Baker going 2.2 innings allowing three hit and two runs while striking out two Crusaders.  Lee Busto put in 1.0 innings as well from the mound, allowing two hits and one run. 

"Our Pitching and Defense was inconsistent this weekend," head coach Rob Bishop said.  "Offensively, we found some rhythm that we can hopefully keep going.  Game 3 was suspended due to rain and will be made up along with game 4 in Billings later this spring." 
 
  
GAME 3 & 4 POSTPONED
 
Games three and four have been postponed until May 1st at 1:00 pm when MSUB hosts NNU at Dehler Park.   

Game three was called in the seventh inning with MSUB on top 9-8.  NNU ends the week with an 11-16 overall, 7-7 GNAC.  The Yellowjackets are now 7-19, 6-8 GNAC.   

MSUB heads into their bye-week as they prepare for their home opener agaisnt Dickison State University on April 8th at Dehler Park.