Box Score 1 | Box Score 2                                         Birch Interview                           Bishop Interview 


BILLINGS, Mont. - The Montana State University Billings Baseball team ended their season on a high note with two walk off wins against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Northwest Nazarene University Saturday afternoon.
 
MSUB prevailed 6-5 in the first game after a Brad Birch walk off single.  Birch, playing in his last collegiate game, then provided the game winning run in the second game on another walk off single in extra innings.
 
GAME 3: MSUB 6 NNU 5  
 
On a windy cold day, MSUB had a great opening pitching performance from Drew Christian who went 7.0 innings allowing just seven hits and five runs while striking out nine batters. Of the five runs, just one was counted as an earned run due to four MSUB errors in the field that resulted in the other four NNU runs.
 
Bret Bitow got things started for the Yellowjackets with a leadoff triple in the first inning.  Kevin Toon then hit a deep sacrifice fly out to right field allowing Bitow to score and give MSUB the 1-0 lead.
 
Toon again provided a sacrifice fly out RBI in the third inning when he hit another fly out to right field this time allowing Myles Berkram to cross home and give MSUB the 2-0 advantage. 
 
MSUB added two runs in the fourth inning when Berkram singled to right field scoring both Trevor Nix and Drew Fosnes to double the MSUB lead 4-0.
 
NNU added one run in the top of the sixth inning which MSUB would quickly match.  Casey Merritt hit a single to center field allowing Berkram to again cross home plate from second base and hold the lead at four 5-1. 
 
NNU then cut the lead to just one as they scored three un-earned runs on three MSUB errors in the eighth inning.   
 
One more Yellowjacket error in the top of the ninth and the game was suddenly tied 5-5.  Then in to bottom of the ninth, Birch has a chance to be the hero.  With runners on first and second base, Birch stepped to the plate and drove a single up the middle splitting the NNU second baseman and the shortstop to allow Merritt to fly around third base and slide into home plate sealing the MSUB victory 6-5. 
 
GAME 4: MSUB 3 NNU 2
 
The Yellowjackets again received a great pitching effort.  This time from Bryon Baker who pitched 9.0 innings (in a scheduled seven inning game) allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out six Crusaders.
 
MSUB scored two quick runs in the first inning with the first coming on a Toon double through the right side scoring Brody Miller.  Birch then singled to right field giving Toon enough time to reach home plate from second base and put MSUB ahead 2-0 early, but then the MSUB bats fell silent for seven straight innings.       
 
NNU then got on the board scoring one run in the fourth inning on an MSUB error.  They followed that up by scoring the game tying run in the fifth inning again on yet another MSUB error to even the score at 2-2.
 
In a must win game for NNU, the Crusaders brought in one of the top pitchers in the conference Aaron Vaughn late in the seventh inning.  With Vaughn for NNU and Baker for MSUB both in command, the game went to extra innings. 
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Miller led things off with a single to right field.  Toon then matched him with a single to left field.  Once again with runners on first and second base, Birch stepped to the plate with a chance to win the game. 
 
Birch rekindled the same magic from game one as he once more hit a single to the right side between the NNU short stop and third baseman, allowing Miller to round third base, cut the plow loose and slide into home plate as the team came running out of the dugout to mob birch in an ending to a season for the ages.   
 
MSUB officially ended the season in fourth place in the GNAC with an overall record of 16-30, 13-19 in GNAC play, but had an ending to the season most teams can only dream of, two walk off singles in front of a home crowd to end on a high note.  
 
"Our pitchers came out and did a great job," head coach Rob Bishop said.  "They might have had one earned run today, Bryon Baker threw nine great innings in a seven inning game and Brad Birch had a walk off hit in both games.  It was an emotional game for our seniors today and we wanted to be playing for the post season, but this was the next best thing.  We sent everyone off on a high note, the guys played well and just had fun while playing baseball.  It was a good day for the Yellowjackets."