ST. GEORGE, Utah – Brady Muller tied a career high with 11 strikeouts and Luke Reinschmidt hit his fifth home run of the season and drove in five runs as the Montana State University Billings baseball team cruised to a 15-1 victory over Minot State Sunday afternoon at Bruce Hurst Field.
 
Muller (1-1) exited after six innings, having allowed just five runners to reach base with three singles and two walks allowed. The senior earned his first win of the season, and Tanner Johnson completed the game and earned the save with three innings in relief.
 
"Brady was very good today," said MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. "He was using all three pitches in and out of the zone."
 
Reinschmidt finished the game 2-for-4 with five RBIs, two runs scored and a double to go along with his home run. Senior Brody Miller went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, and set the career record for doubles as his total moved to 35. Trevor Nix also had three hits and a pair of RBIs for the Yellowjackets. Leadoff batter Kyle Durbin scored three runs as did first baseman Blake Loran, and the 'Jackets out-hit the Beavers 18-7 on the game.
 
"Our bats were solid today again and Luke had another great game," Bishop said.
 
For Minot State (0-2) Kyle Williamson had three hits out of the leadoff spot, and Jared Young had the lone extra-base hit of the day with a double in the ninth inning.
 
Starter Jesse Goertzen (0-1) lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on five hits with four strikeouts and five walks. Rolfson did a nice job in relief for MSU, scattering three hits and allowing no runs while striking out four and walking none in 2 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
 
Goertzen pitched out of a two-out jam in the first inning, striking out Colter Sternhagen to strand a pair of Yellowjackets after two walks.
 
After allowing a leadoff single to Williamson in the first, Muller settled into a groove and retired the next eight batters including six strikeouts.
 
The 'Jackets (3-9) put together a rally in the top of the third, as Durbin punched a leadoff double into left center and Reinschmidt drew a walk. An error by the Beavers on a ground ball by Miller loaded the bases, and Kevin Toon drove in the first run of the game with a fielder's choice groundout. Sternhagen followed with a sacrifice fly to right, giving MSUB a 2-0 lead early on.
 
Loran helped set the stage for a big inning in the fourth with a leadoff single, and Reinschmidt followed with his second home run in as many games to make the score 5-0. The 'Jackets added one more on an RBI single by Nix with the bases loaded and two outs.
 
A big six-run sixth inning put the game away for the 'Jackets, and a two-run double by Reinschmidt highlighted the outburst that eventually put MSUB up 13-0.
 
Johnson took the ball from Muller in the seventh inning, and proceeded to strike out the side. The Beavers rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth, but a great relay from Casey Merritt in left to Sternhagen at third to Nix at the plate cut down an MSU runner and ended the game.
 
Muller was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game for his stellar starting effort.
 
"We are looking forward to a couple of days off and then preparing for the GNAC opener next weekend," said Bishop.
 
THE BUZZ: Sunday's game marked the ninth time in 12 games this season that MSUB was the first team to score…Muller's last 11-strikeout game came his freshman season, when he achieved the total in 6 2/3 innings against Central Washington on May 5, 2012…Reinschmidt is now just three home runs away from tying the MSUB single-season record of eight, set by Colby Robison in 2013…the five RBIs were a career high for Reinschmidt and it was his third overall game with four or more RBIs…it was the first time an MSUB player drove in five runs in a game since Myles Berkram achieved the feat last season in a 15-7 win over Central Washington on April 25 in Billings…the teams were originally scheduled to play a doubleheader Sunday, but the game was switched to one 9-inning game due to inclement weather.
 
AHEAD: The Yellowjackets kick off Great Northwest Athletic Conference play next weekend with four games scheduled against Central Washington. The teams will play doubleheaders on Feb. 28 and March 1 in Ellensburg, Wash., both starting at 1 p.m. Mountain time.