RIVERSIDE, Calif. – An eight-run first inning gave the Montana State University Billings baseball team immediate momentum and the Yellowjackets built on it throughout the game in a big 15-7 road win over Cal Baptist in the series finale Saturday afternoon at Totman Stadium.
Six-straight Yellowjackets reached base to start the game, as MSUB drove CBU starter Stephen Carabajal from the mound before he recorded an out.
Colter Sternhagen finished 4-for-6 with three doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored for the 'Jackets and was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game.
Kyle Durbin and
Brody Miller had three RBIs apiece, and left fielder
Myles Berkram was 2-for-5 and scored three times.
Bret Bitow hit his first home run of the season, and also had a double and scored two runs.
MSUB starter
Jake Campeau struck out three and didn't walk a batter in 6 1/3 solid innings of work. The senior right-hander scattered 11 hits and gave up four earned runs, mixing in 11 ground outs and four fly outs among the 30 batters he faced.
Lee Busto,
Lucas Blehm and
Jake Mills combined to finish the game for the 'Jackets, and the trio struck out four without issuing a walk.
"This was a great win for us after two tough losses earlier in this series," commented MSUB head coach
Rob Bishop. "It was good to see our offense respond after a few quiet games. Our bullpen was great all week, and that is a good sign for us."
Antonio Chavarria went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored to lead CBU's offense. Zack Norris also had a nice day at the plate, batting 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored.
Durbin and Reinschmidt each had a base hit and a walk in the first inning, as MSUB set the tone with the eight-run outburst.
Chavarria homered in the bottom of the first, but MSUB added three more in the second to push its advantage out to 11-3.
After the 'Jackets added another run in the top of the third, Chavarria notched an RBI-double as CBU scored two in the bottom of the frame.
Campeau then settled into a rhythm, retiring seven of the next eight batters he faced. Busto came on in relief in the seventh inning for 2/3 innings, and Blehm and Mills each tossed an inning to finish the game.
A leadoff double in the eighth by Berkram led to two more runs by MSUB, as an RBI single by Durbin plated the Yellowjackets' left fielder and a sacrifice fly by Miller brought home
Landon Peterson.
The 'Jackets out hit the Lancers on the game 19-15, and improved to 7-13 with the victory. CBU is now 8-10 overall on the season, and the Lancers left seven runners on base while the 'Jackets stranded 11.
The Lancers utilized six relievers to get through the game, and they combined for nine strikeouts and five walks while allowing nine runs.
THE BUZZ: Yellowjacket pitchers did not allow a walk for the first time since May 1, 2014 in a 5-4 win over Northwest Nazarene…Sternhagen is the third Yellowjacket this season to record a four-hit game, joining Durbin and Miller…MSUB has scored 10 or more runs in six games this season, and the 15 scored Saturday tied the team's individual game-high for 2015…all 15 of MSUB's runs were earned.
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets return to the diamond next Friday, with a four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series on the road against Western Oregon in Monmouth, Ore., over the weekend. MSUB will then take on Northwest Nazarene in a road series before challenging Saint Martin's in its home opener on March 27 at Dehler Park in Billings.
