MONMOUTH, Ore. – Adam Cox hit a two-run home run and a two-run double to give the Montana State University Billings baseball team a 4-3 lead over Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Western Oregon University on Wednesday, and then got Wolves' slugger Nathan Etheridge to hit into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh at the WOU baseball field to earn his fourth save of the year.
 
With MSUB trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cox drove his sixth home run of the year over the fence in left-center field to restore the lead for Yellowjacket starter Drew Christina. Cox then entered the game on the mound with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, and got left-handed pinch hitter Joey Crunkilton to fly out and end the inning.
 
An error and a double spelled trouble for MSUB in the top of the seventh and final inning, as WOU put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with no outs. With Trevor Podratz, the third-leading hitter in the GNAC, coming to the plate, Yellowjacket skipper Rob Bishop elected to intentionally walk the righty to put the double play into order.
 
Cox got ahead of Etheridge 0-1, and the very next pitch was rolled to Colter Sternhagen at second base who turned his 18th double play of the year with Corey Morris up the middle to clinch the win. "Adam was great at the plate and on the mound today," Bishop said. "Drew stepped up and pitched well today, and this was a great team win for us."
 
The single, 7-inning contest was a makeup game for one that was rained out in Billings, Mont., in March, and the Yellowjackets had the advantage of playing as the home team Wednesday.
 
Coming off a 3-1 series win over Concordia last weekend, MSUB is now 22-17 overall and 16-14 in conference play. The 'Jackets made up a half game in the GNAC standings, and now trail third-place Central

Washington by two games in the win column. Western Oregon lost for the fourth time in its last five games and slipped to 20-12 in league play and 25-17 overall.
 
Christina was outstanding on the mound, shaking off a first-inning run and a two spot in the fourth inning to earn his first win of the year. The senior left-hander struck out two and had two walks, while allowing five hits in 5 2/3 innings and throwing 94 pitches.

Brock Pradere led off the ballgame with a base hit to center field, and scored on Ethridge's RBI-groundout to make it 1-0 in the top of the first inning. WOU starter Trey Smith locked in and kept the 'Jackets scoreless through the first two innings, but a throwing error and walk in the bottom of the third set up the first scoring chance of the day for MSUB.
 
Kyle Durbin laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the speedy Luke Reinschmidt and Myles Berkram into scoring position, and Cox delivered a two-run double into center field to make the score 2-1.
 
The Wolves countered quickly however, as Marcus Madden had an RBI-single and Jay Leverett executed a squeeze bunt in the top of the fourth inning to get both runs back. Freshman catcher Matt Dillon made up for a catcher's interference that put a runner on with two outs in the fifth, as he threw his counterpart Brandon Oliver out trying to steal with the next batter at the plate.
 
The double play to end the game was the second turned by the 'Jackets, who also got out of the third inning with a heads-up twin killing by Sternhagen. The senior fielded a ground ball, tagged the oncoming runner, and tossed to Tanner Watson at first base for the first double play of the afternoon. Sternhagen also had his team-leading 11th double of the year in the game.
 
No player for WOU had more than one hit, RBI, or run scored in the game, and Oliver had the lone extra-base hit with a double.
 
THE BUZZ: Cox was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…he is now second on the team in home runs with six and RBIs with 33…Cox is now MSUB's career leader in saves with eight through his first two years with the 'Jackets…MSUB is now 3-1 against Western Oregon this season.
 
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets and Wolves play a regular, four-game GNAC series this weekend, with doubleheaders set for 2 p.m. Mountain time on Friday and Saturday. Both afternoons will be played in the 9-inning/7-inning format, in the most important series of the season thus far.