MONMOUTH, Ore. – The bats came alive for the Montana State University Billings baseball team on Saturday, leading to a doubleheader split against Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Western Oregon University at the WOU Baseball Field.
 
MSUB rolled to an 18-2 triumph in the opener, but the Wolves countered with a 7-1 victory in the nightcap to take the series 3-1. The 'Jackets moved to 4-16 overall with the split and are now 4-8 in conference play. WOU meanwhile is 6-4 overall and is 5-3 in league play to start the season. "I'm excited because we are starting to pitch better and play better overall," MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups said. "I like the momentum of the group and how they're staying with each other. They continue to believe and continue to support each other."
 
Dylan Barkley threw seven stellar innings in his start in the opener Saturday, while Tanner Parker and Carson Green each hit a home run on the day. Daniel Cipriano got on base in 5 of 9 plate appearances on the day and had a pair of RBIs. "Dylan Barkley was outstanding today," Waddoups said. "He really controlled the tempo and pace of the game, and really pitched well. It was really good for us to get that momentum going and to see that type of outing. Game 2 just got away from us a little bit, and we just couldn't get it going offensively. It's a tough place to play, and they did a good job protecting their home turf."
 
Connor McCord went 3-for-6 in the doubleheader with three RBIs, and the Wolves combined to throw a one-hitter in the nightcap.
 
Game 1 – MSU Billings 18, Western Oregon 2
 
Barkley delivered one of the best performances of his career, scattering five hits over seven innings of work and allowing just two unearned runs in the game. The left-hander threw a career-high 119 pitches, while striking out nine and walking two to earn his first win of the year.
 
Mason Abrath and Blake Tritch each threw an inning to finish the game, combining to strike out three, walk none, and surrender just one hit. "Abrath was lights out, and he came in and pounded the zone," Waddoups said. "Same with Tritch. We were able to open up the offense, and Tanner Parker got energy on our side with the three-run home run in the second inning. It was just a really well-played game from our guys."
 
MSUB's offense did more than enough to back the stellar pitching in the opening game of the doubleheader, scoring three runs in the top of the second and never looking back. Parker's two-run homer came in the second frame, before the team scored three more in the fourth to make the score 6-0.
 
The Wolves had an opportunity to get on the board with two on and only one out in the third, but Barkley received a boost from his catcher Justin Lutz who gunned down Derek Maiben to end the frame with a strike-out, throw-out double play.
 
Cipriano ripped an RBI-double into the left-field corner in the top of the sixth, extending MSUB's lead to 7-0. The Wolves finally broke through with two runs in the bottom of the inning after an error, but it was all the offense the hosts could muster against Barkley.
 
Ending his outing in emphatic fashion, Barkley shook off a two-out double in the seventh and recorded strike outs for all three outs in his final frame of the day.
 
MSUB piled on the offense late, with a two-run double off the bat of Carson Green highlighting a four-run eighth inning. Twelve batters came up to hit in a seven-run top of the ninth inning to blow the game open at the end.
 
Will Riley went 4-for-5 with three runs scored out of the leadoff spot, while Sam Powers was 3-for-4 with four runs scored in the opening game of the doubleheader.
 
Game 2 – Western Oregon 7, MSU Billings 1 (7 Innings)
 
WOU starter Nick Parr shook off a first-inning home run allowed to Green, and struck out six while walking just one in five innings pitched. Ryan Shipley allowed one walk while striking out one in two shutout innings of relief, as the MSUB bats went quiet in the series finale.
 
The Wolves responded in the third inning, plating runs on a balk, an RBI-double from McCord, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Justyn Herzog. Derek Maiben drew a walk to lead off the fifth inning, and an RBI-single off the bat of McCord made it a 4-1 ballgame. WOU capped the scoring two batters later, when Josh Berman launched a three-run home run that proved to be the final blow in the game.
 
MSUB starter Logan Siblerud allowed three runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in his three innings of work. Braelen Pippin gave up four runs on three hits in two innings, before Tyler Elliott threw a perfect bottom of the sixth inning to finish the game on the mound.
 
Walks drawn by PJ Ausmus in the fifth and Green in the sixth gave MSUB its only two baserunners of the game other than Green's first-inning home run.
 
THE BUZZ: Barkley was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Barkley was one strikeout away from his career high of 10, which he achieved on Feb. 29, 2020 at Western Oregon…the Game 1 score tied MSUB's largest-ever victory over Western Oregon…MSUB also beat the Wolves 18-2 in Game 1 of a doubleheader on April 15, 2017 in Billings…WOU now leads the series 80-30 and is 37-14 in games played in Monmouth.
 
NEXT WEEK: The Yellowjackets are on the road again, with a four-game GNAC series at Central Washington University on the calendar. Doubleheaders against the Wildcats are set for April 2 at noon and April 3 at 11 a.m. in Ellensburg, Washington, with live coverage available online here