BILLINGS, Mont. – A tough, 4-3 10-inning loss to Western Oregon brought the best season in Montana State University Billings baseball history to a close Thursday, as the Yellowjackets were eliminated from the 2015 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, after losing to Northwest Nazarene 8-6 earlier in the day at Dehler Park.
 
MSUB finished its 2015 season with a 27-23 record, the first winning season since the program was reinstated during the 2006 season. The Yellowjackets claimed the GNAC regular-season title, and earned hosting rights for the 2015 Championships.
 
"What I told the young guys after the game, is that when it feels like it did this year, you know you did it right," commented MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. "The seniors gave those young guys a picture of what a team looks like. No matter how bad it looks, you're always in the game and you're going to have each other's backs."
 
With the dramatic extra-inning win, Western Oregon will advance to the championship game on Friday, scheduled for noon Mountain time against Northwest Nazarene. The Crusaders held on for a wild 3-2 win over Western Oregon in the first game Thursday, and need just one more victory to clinch their first-ever GNAC Championships title.
 
The Yellowjackets hit five doubles on the day, two by Brody Miller as he completed his incredible four-year career with MSUB. Kevin Toon had four hits on the day for the 'Jackets, including a huge RBI-single in Game 2 that ended up scoring two runs and giving MSUB a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. Toon was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day for MSUB.
 
Trevor Nix had a pair of doubles for the Yellowjackets as well, and senior Conner Holbrook went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in Game 1.
 
With the win, Northwest Nazarene improved to 29-26 on the season, and completed a two-game sweep of the top-two seeds in the tournament.
 
Western Oregon kept its season alive and improved to 27-24, and will now have to beat NNU twice on Friday in order to win its second GNAC Championship tournament title in the last three years.
 
Game 1 – Northwest Nazarene 8, MSU Billings 6
 
The Yellowjackets twice rallied to tie the first game of the day, but could not come back from being down for a third time as the Crusaders picked up the narrow victory.
 
NNU scored in the first inning off of MSUB starter Brady Muller, as Andrew Helmstadter plated Tyler Davis with a base hit into right field. Toon's first RBI of the day evened the score at 1-1, as he plated Miller after the senior's double.
 
Helmstadter brought home two more runs as part of a big three-run third inning, but the 'Jackets got two back in the bottom of the frame on a two-run single by Myles Berkram.
 
Casey Merritt plated a run with a base hit up the middle in the fourth, and a sacrifice fly by Holbrook scored Nix and made the score 5-5 through five innings of play.
 
After Kaleb DeHaas drew a one-out walk in the top of the sixth, NNU shortstop Tucker Campbell followed with a huge two-run home run over the wall in left field to make the score 7-5 in favor of the 'Saders.
 
On in relief starting in the fifth inning, Andrew Groves was lights out for NNU, allowing just one unearned run and two hits while striking out five and walking one in 4 2/3 innings. He blanked the Yellowjackets in the sixth and seventh innings, but MSUB made one final push at a comeback with a run on an RBI-groundout by Berkram to make it 7-6.
 
A bunt single to third base by Helmstadter gave the Crusaders an insurance run in the top of the ninth, as Davis was able to score after a throwing error.
 
A two-out double by Luke Reinschmidt put the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the inning, and Colton Loomis entered in relief to shut the door. He got Corey Morris to ground out to first base and end the game, and earned the save while preserving the win for Groves.
 
Muller gave up seven runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four walks in his six innings of work, and fellow senior Jake Mills tossed the final three frames for the 'Jackets.
 
NNU starter Blake Mitchell was lifted after throwing just one inning, as NNU head coach Rocke Musgraves elected to go with freshman phenom Ross Clevenger after the Crusaders had a 4-1 lead.
 
MSUB was outhit 12-10 in the game, and left nine runners on base while NNU stranded six.
 
Game 2 – Western Oregon 4, MSU Billings 3 (10 Innings)
 
Again falling into an early deficit, MSUB trailed 2-0 through three innings in the final game of the day against Western Oregon.
 
Garret Harpole came through with a big two-out double to left field that kicked off the wall and away from Merritt to allow Michael Sherwin to score from first base in the second inning.
 
After a 1-2-3 frame from GNAC Pitcher of the Year Jesse Pratt, WOU added one more as Jacob Whisler led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice line drive into center field by Austin Hamilton. With two outs, Cody Sullivan grounded a sharp single into left field, and Merritt fired a strike to Holbrook at the plate to throw out Hinkle and end the inning with the deficit at just two runs.
 
Breaking a streak of seven-straight batters retired in the top of the fourth was Toon, as he beat out a chopper to the shortstop for an infield hit. After the runners advanced to first and third, MSUB scored its first run of the game on a balk by Pratt as he attempted a third-to-first pickoff move.
 
Stepping to the plate in a big spot an inning later, Toon gave MSUB its first lead of the day with a line drive single into center field that scored Merritt from third. Berkram was originally being held up on the play, but when the ball was bobbled in center field he was able to score to make it 3-2, Yellowjackets.
 
Pratt pitched out of the jam however, stranding two more baserunners with two-straight non-productive outs off the bats of Yellowjackets.
 
After each starter put up a zero in the sixth, Brandon Oliver led off the top of the seventh with a double into right field. Harpole again came through with the clutch at bat, tying the game at 3-3 with an RBI-single up the middle off of MSUB starter Jake Campeau.
 
The 'Jackets put two runners on in the bottom of the frame, but WOU center fielder Cody Poznanski tracked down a deep drive by Reinschmidt on the warning track in right center to end the inning.
 
Taking over in relief to start the eighth inning, freshman Adam Cox immediately found himself in a jam after a single by Marcus Hinkle, a double by Hamilton and a walk to Taylor loaded the bases.
 
Somehow, the 'Jackets escaped the mess, thanks to a diving stop by Morris at short and a throw home, followed by an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play as the score stayed 3-3.
 
Pratt also exited after seven complete innings, giving way to Shawn Domke who retired the first seven batters he faced with four strikeouts.
 
By the time MSUB had its first baserunner off the tough right-hander, WOU had taken a 4-3 lead thanks to an RBI-single by Oliver that scored Hamilton in the top of the 10th.
 
Nix doubled down the line in right with one out in the last frame, but a pair of groundouts sealed the win for WOU, and ended the season for MSUB.
 
On the game Pratt allowed three runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in his seven innings. The double by Nix was the only baserunner Domke allowed, as he improved to 2-1 on the season with the win in his three innings of work.
 
For MSUB Campeau matched Pratt's effort, also allowing just three runs on seven hits with one strikeout and one walk. Cox struck out four but walked four in his three innings, giving up the decisive run and falling to 4-2 with the loss.
 
The Wolves collected 11 hits compared with seven by MSUB, and the 'Jackets stranded nine more baserunners while WOU left eight on.