BILLINGS, Mont. – For the second time this season, the Montana State University Billings baseball team turned a triple play, this time ending the game in a 16-8 win over Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Northwest Nazarene as part of a doubleheader sweep to push the Yellowjackets back into first place Friday afternoon at Dehler Park.
 
With the bases loaded and no outs, NNU's Tucker Campbell shot a line drive at Brody Miller, who flipped the ball to Corey Morris for the out at second before throwing on to Kevin Toon at first base to complete the incredible game-ending triple play.
 
It was the second triple play of the season turned by MSUB, the first of which was featured as the No. 9 play on SportsCenter Top Plays on Feb. 8, 2015.
 
The Yellowjackets (22-20, 17-9 GNAC) also ended Game 2 in dramatic fashion, entering the bottom of the seventh and final inning trailing 11-9. Myles Berkram hit a huge two-out, two-run double off of the left-center field fence to score two runs, and Colter Sternhagen was hit by a pitch with the count full and the bases loaded to end the game and give the 'Jackets the 12-11 victory.
 
The Yellowjackets led Game 1 9-2 before NNU pulled the score to 9-7 in the fifth inning, and MSUB led Game 2 7-0 before NNU scored 11 unanswered runs to take command of the game late.
 
"We found ourselves in a tight game going into the last few innings," Bishop said regarding Game 1. "We just had a really good inning. We had six or seven good at bats back-to-back, and we are capable of putting pressure on a lot of teams when we do that."
 
Miller hit two more home runs on the day, pushing his GNAC-leading total to 14 on the season. He also set a new MSUB record for RBIs in a season, as his five on the day gave him 53 on the year.
 
"Brody had some big at bats today," Bishop said. "They walked him in a big spot at the end of the game, but he hit the ball hard early in the day and earned that walk."
 
Berkram had four hits, scored four runs and drove in four on the day for the Yellowjackets, and was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day. He missed a grand slam by a foot, as his towering blast to left field with the bases loaded in Game 1 smashed off the bricks on the wall to score two runs. He also made a heads up baserunning play after his game-tying double in Game 2, alertly stealing third base on the first of four intentional balls to Miller.
 
"Myles is just heads up," Bishop said. "In that situation, you could see teams relax a bit and we talked about how big of a play that was for him to take third. Their next pitcher didn't want to end the game on a wild pitch so he missed up with his curveball a couple times. It also put us in a position to let Brody run when they didn't hold him on at first, which helped prevent a force out."
 
Northwest Nazarene fell to 25-22 on the season with the loss and the Crusaders are now 13-13 in GNAC play. Leadoff batter Josh Hatfield had four hits on the day, and drove in five runs in the second game thanks in large part to his fourth-inning grand slam.
 
Andrew Helmstadter also had a pair of hits in each game for NNU, and crossed the plate three times. Kaleb DeHass played excellent defense at third base in Game 1, ranging in all directions and making several plays on tough ground balls for the Crusaders.
 
The Yellowjackets were perfect defensively on the day while NNU had five errors, while MSUB left 11 runners on base and the Crusaders stranded 14.
 
Game 1 – MSU Billings 16, Northwest Nazarene 8
 
NNU was not fazed by the 9-2 deficit it faced, scoring one run in the fourth and four more in the fifth to cut the score to 9-7. The turning point in the game came in the top of the seventh inning, when relief pitcher Jake Mills faced a jam with runners on second and third and nobody out.
 
The senior right-hander struck out DeHaas on a 2-2 pitch, and on an ensuing ground ball MSUB third baseman Kyle Durbin fired a throw to Conner Holbrook at home. The senior catcher snagged the ball, reached across his body and barely tagged Helmstadter out in time to prevent the run from scoring.
 
After a popout to end the inning, MSUB carried the momentum into a seven-run seventh inning to seal the victory.
 
"I felt like that gave our dugout a little boost," Bishop said on escaping the jam. "We went up after that, had some good at bats, and put some good swings on the ball."
 
It was in the big seventh that Miller hit his first home run of the day, a towering three-run shot over the right-center field fence to score Berkram and Casey Merritt.
 
Also with a three-run home run in the game was Holbrook, whose blast was part of the big six-run third inning that got the 'Jackets out to an early lead.
 
The Crusaders jumped on MSUB starter Brady Muller in the top of the first, drawing a pair of walks and pushing both around to score to make the lead 2-0. The 'Jackets responded with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the frame.
 
Durbin's third home run of the season came in the third inning to give MSUB its first lead of the day, before the scoring outburst in the third.
 
Despite striking out five, Muller was driven from the game before he got through the fifth inning, allowing seven runs on seven hits with three walks. Mills earned the victory with three shutout relief innings, during which he had a strikeout and did not allow a hit.
 
NNU starter Colben McGuire had an abbreviated outing as well, as he threw just 2 2/3 innings and allowed nine runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts. The Crusaders used five total pitchers in Game 1, with Noah Starr silencing MSUB's bats with 3 1/3 shutout innings in which he allowed just one hit.
 
Luke Reinschmidt had a huge game for the Yellowjackets, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a pair of doubles at the plate.
 
Game 2 – MSU Billings 12, Northwest Nazarene 11 (7 Innings)
 
With 11 unanswered runs, NNU got itself back into the game after trailing 7-0 entering the fourth inning. The 'Saders scored six in the fourth highlighted by Hatfield's grand slam to left, and added four more in the fifth thanks to a two-run single by Kyle Thomson and an RBI-double by Hatfield.
 
MSUB established the lead early on, as Miller's second home run of the day came in the bottom of the first after a Berkram double to make the score 2-0. Trevor Nix and Holbrook followed with RBI-singles as the Yellowjackets supplied starter Jake Campeau with a 5-0 advantage.
 
The senior right hander retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced with five strikeouts, shutting NNU down through three innings. On the game Campeau finished with four innings pitched, allowing seven runs on 10 hits with no walks.
 
Lucas Blehm tossed 1 1/3 innings of solid relief, and Adam Cox was credited with the win after a 1-2-3 seventh inning set up the dramatic victory for the 'Jackets.
 
Nix finished Game 2 2-for-3 with three runs scored, while Miller and Kevin Toon each drew a pair of walks.
 
Hatfield was 3-for-5 with five RBIs and a run scored, while Thomson, Helmstadter and Tim Jones had a pair of hits apiece in Game 2.
 
NNU starter Jake Reppert, who entered the game with a 2.18 earned run average, was driven after 3 1/3 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Colton Loomis took the loss, giving up five runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings.
 
THE BUZZ: With seven regular season games to play, Miller is now four home runs shy and 16 RBIs shy of tying the GNAC single-season records in those categories…Muller tied the GNAC career record for starts with his 40th on Friday…Morris made 10 more plays at shortstop, and has made just one error in his last 64 chances spanning a dozen games.
 
UP NEXT: The series concludes Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader, and MSUB's nine graduating seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony in their final regular season home games.