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Box Score 2 ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Montana State Billings and Central Washington alternated excellent starts from their aces, splitting a Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the CWU baseball field.
For the Yellowjackets (4-10, 1-1 GNAC),
Brady Muller turned in 7 2/3 innings quality innings and was backed by a strong offensive showing as MSUB cruised to a 14-6 victory in Game 1. Muller struck out six and walked one, earning his second victory of the season.
Brody Miller was 4-for-6 in the first game and hit his fourth home run of the season, and
Trevor Nix totaled four hits on the day and drove in a pair.
Reigning GNAC Pitcher of the Year Brandon Williams turned in a stellar complete game in the second end of the doubleheader, striking out 13 and walking one while scattering five hits over seven innings in a 13-4 win. The four runs he allowed were all unearned, as a dropped third strike that would have ended the inning resulted in a four-run outburst by the 'Jackets with two outs in the fifth.
Darren Honeysett homered twice in the second game, and Zach Reay also added a long ball and three RBIs for the Wildcats. CWU moved to 6-4 on the season and is now 1-1 in GNAC play.
MSUB out hit CWU 17-13 in the first game, while the Wildcats out hit MSUB 11-5 in the second. Muller was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day for the Yellowjackets.
"Today was a great example of dominant pitching performances," commented MSUB head coach
Rob Bishop. "Brady was really good in Game 1 and Brandon was great in Game 2 for CWU."
Game 1 – MSU Billings 14, Central Washington 6 Miller finished the game 4-for-6 and was one of six Yellowjackets to collect multiple hits. His home run was his fourth of the season and he also scored a pair of runs.
Kyle Durbin led the team with three RBIs out of the leadoff spot, and
Luke Reinschmidt was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Nix also drove in a pair of runs and had two doubles.
Muller spread a dozen hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking just one while allowing four runs. The Wildcats managed just one extra-base hit off of MSUB's ace, who finished the day throwing 126 pitches.
For the Wildcats, starter Zach Johnson lasted five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Five CWU relievers combined to throw the final four innings, and the staff walked eight Yellowjackets overall on the day.
At the plate, leadoff batter Cory Welch was 3-for-5 and was the only Wildcat to collect multiple hits in the first game. Jeff Beckman had a pair of RBIs for CWU, and Austin Pernell and Mitchell Darlington each scored two runs.
The Yellowjackets manufactured a run in the first inning, as a one-out walk by Reinschmidt and a single by Miller set the stage for
Kevin Toon. The junior designated hitter sent a fly ball into center field that was caught, but a defensive miscue by the Wildcats allowed Reinschmidt to advance 180 feet and score from second.
The Wildcats threatened to even the score in the bottom of the first, as Kasey Bielec and Randy Fuller each singled with two outs. Muller pitched out of the jam however, stranding both base runners with a harmless ground out to third to end the inning.
Muller again pitched around a two-out rally by CWU in the second, and settled into a groove as he blanked the Wildcats' lineup through the fourth inning.
Johnson was equally as effective as Muller was through the early innings, allowing just three singles to the Yellowjackets through the fourth inning.
The Yellowjackets loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Dillon Peterson snagged a line drive off the bat of Miller and Johnson got Toon to fly out as CWU dodged a bullet and MSUB left three on base.
Colter Sternhagen sparked a rally for the 'Jackets in the sixth with a leadoff single, and Nix followed with a double to left to give MSUB a 2-0 lead.
Bret Bitow lofted a fly ball to right field that brought Nix home three batters later, as the 'Jackets added one more run to their advantage.
A shutdown inning from Muller in the bottom of the sixth set the stage for MSUB to extend its lead further in the seventh. Singles from Reinschmidt, Miller and Toon started the action, and a Sternhagen double made the score 5-0 in favor of the 'Jackets. A three-run double by Durbin capped off a six-run inning, as MSUB put the game out of reach at 9-0.
After adding two more in the eighth including one on an RBI double by Nix, CWU made some noise in the bottom of the inning and drove Muller from the game. Beckman punched a base hit into center to plate a pair of runs, and Welch and Myles Wesener followed with RBI-singles to make the score 12-4.
Miller's fourth home run of the season drove in Reinschmidt as MSUB answered in the top of the ninth with a pair of runs.
CWU scored two more runs in the ninth, but reliever
Lucas Blehm controlled the Wildcats' bats and helped MSUB secure the victory.
Game 2 – Central Washington 13, MSU Billings 4 (7 Innings) Williams retired six of the first seven batters he faced, striking out two over that span.
Cody Cooper matched his counterpart's effort by retiring the side in the first, but a single by Pernell with the bases loaded plated a pair of runs and gave CWU a 2-0 lead in the second.
Welch also had an RBI in the second, and after Williams shut down the 'Jackets in the third CWU scored two more to make the score 5-0.
A leadoff single by Reay spelled trouble for MSUB in the fourth, and Honeysett followed three batters later with a three-run blast that gave Williams an 8-0 cushion.
Refusing to give in, the 'Jackets rallied for a big inning in the fifth. Sternhagen and Nix led off with back-to-back singles, and despite a strikeout, Bitow reached first with two outs on a passed ball to load the bases. MSUB cashed in on the mishap, as Durbin doubled to right to score two and a Reinschmidt single into center plated two more as the Yellowjackets cut the deficit in half, 8-4.
Reay and Honeysett picked the Wildcats up in the bottom of the frame, each hitting a two-run home run as CWU went up 12-4.
Williams got into the zone the rest of the way, striking out the final five Yellowjackets he faced.
Cooper tossed four innings in the start, allowing eight runs on eight hits with three walks.
Honeysett drove in five runs with his two homers for the Wildcats and Reay added three while also crossing the plate three times.
"CWU is a great team so we have a good opportunity tomorrow to set the stage for the GNAC season," said Bishop.
UP NEXT: The series wraps up Sunday with another doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Mountain time. The 'Jackets will then remain on the road to take on Cal Baptist in a four-game series over the weekend.
