NAMPA, Idaho – Landon Peterson broke the Montana State University Billings career record for runners thrown out before recording a five-RBI game to fuel a furious comeback win over Northwest Nazarene University that sealed a 3-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference series victory on Saturday afternoon at Vail Baseball Field.
 
The Nighthawks got the best of the 'Jackets 16-9 in Game 1 Saturday, but MSUB turned the tables and responded with a 16-9 win to take the finale and the series. Peterson gunned down the 29th runner of his career in Game 1, and hit a huge three-run home run during a six-run fifth inning in Game 2 that got MSUB back into it despite trailing 9-0 through three frames.
 
"Our guys were able to put an ugly one behind them and stay the course as a team," said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. "One area of focus for this club is working to get better each day and each inning, and we throught they did a good job of that today. (Brooks) Zimmer really picked the pitching staff up and kept us in that Game 2, which allowed the offense to grind back into it."
 
Overall on the day MSUB scored 25 runs on 25 hits, Matt Dillon added two more home runs, and Chris Arpan hit his second of the year. MSUB improved to 4-12 on the season and is even at 4-4 in conference play with the split. The Nighthawks meanwhile moved to 8-8 overall, and are also 4-4 in GNAC play. "It is a good feeling to be coming back home after another long road trip, and this club got better this weekend," Sutton said.
 
Dylan Cure hit two home runs in Game 1, and Parker Price slugged a long ball in each game to lead the NNU offense. The Nighthawks scored their 25 runs on 22 hits, as both teams took advantage of the hitter-friendly confines in Nampa.
 
Game 1 – Northwest Nazarene 16, MSU Billings 9
 
Conner Linebarger carried his hot streak from Friday over to his first at-bat Saturday, rifling a double into the left-field corner to set up MSUB's first run of the day. Daniel Cipriano was narrowly thrown out on a ground ball up the middle, but it was enough to plate Wyatt Setian from third and give the 'Jackets a 1-0 lead.
 
Price evened the score with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, and NNU starter Jesse Hilyard got out of a jam in the second with a strikeout to strand two runners on base.
 
Peterson helped Yellowjacket starter Jarrod Molnaa shake off a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second, as he gunned down Rocco Ferrari trying to steal second base. It was the 29th runner caught stealing by Peterson in his career, breaking Jake Samuelson's record of 28 which he set in 2006-07. "Lando was solid all weekend behind the dish," said Sutton. "He took care of our staff and offensively was a spark plug for us. It is a great honor for him to be recognized as our career leader in runners caught stealing."
 
Dillon helped MSUB regain the lead in the top of the fourth inning, when he rode his team-leading seventh home run of the season over the fence in right-center.
 
NNU ultimately won the game thanks to a pair of big innings, the first of which was the bottom of the fourth. Three straight walks loaded the bases, and Cure launched a grand slam over the fence in center. The Nighthawks turned inning-ending double plays in both the fifth and sixth, as the 'Jackets placed runners on base but couldn't pick up a run-scoring swing of the bat.
 
The Yellowjackets chipped away, and after a three-run seventh inning they trailed just 6-5. But the wheels came off after the Stretch as NNU scored eight times in the bottom of the seventh and never looked back. Twelve NNU hitters came up during the disastrous inning for MSUB, and six different players had RBIs in the inning.
 
Linebarger had a two-run double in the eighth, and the 'Jackets got two more in the ninth, but by then the game was well out of reach.
 
Molnaa suffered the loss, allowing three runs on one hit with two strikeouts and four walks in three innings of work. All three of the relievers MSUB used gave up multiple runs after that, as the Nighthawks put together their highest-scoring game of the season.
 
Hilyard persevered through 6 2/3 innings to get the win, and only two of the five runs that he gave up were earned. Jalen Fuhriman and Bryan Black combined to finish the game on the hill for NNU.
 
 
Game 2 – MSU Billings 16, Northwest Nazarene 9 (7 Innings)
 
After a seven-run first inning and two more in the third, it appeared that NNU was well on its way to salvaging a series split. But the Yellowjackets scored in each of the final four innings, including six in the fifth and five more in the seventh to wrestle away the series.
 
Peterson had a career-high five RBIs thanks to a two-run single to go along with his three-run homer, and Arpan went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, three RBIs, a double and a home run.
 
NNU chased MSUB starter Keven Mackintosh after recording just one out, as 12 batters hit in the bottom of the opening inning. Freshman Brooks Zimmer took over and was superb the rest of the way, as he earned his first collegiate victory by striking out seven and giving up just two runs on six hits over the final 6 2/3 innings pitched.
 
Price's second homer of the day was a two-run shot in the third, and it made the score 9-0 as the Yellowjackets' hopes looked slim. But Peterson gave his team life with his first run-scoring hit in the fourth, and cleared the bases to highlight the loud fifth inning.
 
After a 1-2-3 shutdown frame by Zimmer in the bottom of the fifth, Arpan delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit when he sent a two-run shot over the fence in right. Dillon followed with his second homer of the day to make it 11-9, and that was enough to secure the win.
 
The Yellowjackets ended the series on a high note, bringing around five more runs in the seventh thanks to two-run doubles by both Dillon and Tyler Detloff.
 
Blake McFadden started and went 4 1/3 innings, and only one of the four runs he gave up was earned. He struck out four and walked none, but was saddled with the no-decision. Nick Irwin took the loss after being charged with 10 runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
 
THE BUZZ: Zimmer was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…MSUB is now 53-48 all-time against NNU and is 29-24 in road games…Peterson's previous personal best in a game was three RBIs, which he achieved on May 1, 2016 at Western Oregon…the home run was the third of Peterson's career…Setian had eight assists in Game 1, marking the sixth time in school history a player has had eight assists in a single game…the last player to achieve that mark was Linebarger, who did it on May 11, 2018 against Western Oregon…Game 1 marked Linebarger's first-career game with multiple doubles…the 1 1/3-inning outing in Game 1 was the longest of senior Brandon Maassen's career.
 
NEXT WEEK: MSUB is scheduled to play Central Washington University in a four-game series. The location of the series is still to be determined, as lingering winter conditions remain in Billings where Dehler Park is currently unplayable. The latest schedule updates will be available online on the 2019 MSUB baseball schedule page here.