LACEY, Wash. – Blake Tritch authored an eight-inning complete-game victory to give the Montana State University Billings baseball team a crucial Great Northwest Athletic Conference series victory over host Saint Martin's University during a tripleheader on Friday at the SMU Baseball Field.
 
The senior right-hander pitched MSUB to a series-clinching, 4-1 extra-inning win in the finale, after the Yellowjackets dropped Friday's opener 9-5 and won the second game 19-8. "That was an extremely competitive game all the way through," Tritch commented on the finale, which entered the eighth inning tied 1-1. "My defense did a great job making plays and Ethan Babcock-Barrie did an amazing job behind the plate for me. Having guys that were working their tails off for me just made me want to go out there and return the favor form them by getting them back in the dugout as soon as possible."
 
"Blake commanded the zone, competed, kept his composure, and what an outstanding outing from him," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. "With the way he kept locating and how composed he was, I was leaving him in until he told me he was done."
 
The Yellowjackets (8-24, 8-16 GNAC) won the series opener 6-5 on Thursday, before the second game was put on hold due to darkness after five innings of play. Despite dropping the resumed contest, the 'Jackets rallied to win the next two on a Friday that featured 21 innings of baseball. "To win a series on the road is always a good thing," said Waddoups. "We were really offensive in Game 3, and then had a pitcher's duel so we won both styles of baseball games today which was good to see. We had a lot of different guys step up both offensively and defensively in Game 3, and then it was just an outstanding baseball game that we just kept competing in to finish."
 
The Saints slipped to 7-21 overall and moved one game away from being eliminated from the GNAC Championships by falling to 3-17 in conference play.
 
Tanner Cantwell hit his eighth home run of the season, Justin Lutz hit his fifth, Ethan Babcock-Barrie hit his second, and AJ Wagenmann hit the first of his collegiate career fashionably with a pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the ninth inning in Game 3 of the series.
 
Game 1 – Saint Martin's 9, MSU Billings 4
 
The first game Friday and the third overall in the series resumed in the top of the sixth inning, with the Yellowjackets holding onto a 3-2 lead. The Saints rallied to score seven times over the final three frames however, as the 'Jackets couldn't hold onto their lead after beginning the game on Thursday night.
 
MSUB initially pulled ahead with a three-run top of the fifth inning, using an SMU error and an RBI-double by Will Riley to make their first dent against SMU starter Justice Yamashita. The host's pitcher threw all five frames before darkness halted Thursday's game, allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
 
Braeden McNally delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to start off Friday's action, before the Saints scored four more times in the bottom of the seventh on RBIs by Reid Little, McNally, and Ty Matsunami.
 
MSUB got one run back on Babcock-Barrie's second home run of the year in the eighth, but SMU reliever Ryan Ancheta sealed off the victory allowing just one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk in four innings out of the bullpen.
 
McNally led the way with four RBIs in the game, while Mark Steward went 4-for-5 for the Saints.
 
MSUB starter Matthew Houlihan allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and four walks in his five innings pitched on Thursday night. Ryan Roche and Diego Hernandez combined to finish the game on the mound out of the 'pen for the 'Jackets.
 
Game 2 – MSU Billings 19, Saint Martin's 8
 
The Yellowjackets' bats came alive in Game 3 of the series, as Lutz had an RBI-double and Joey Castelli drove in two more in the top of the first inning. The Saints pulled even with three runs in the bottom of the second, driven in by three different players.
 
MSUB's biggest inning of the day was the top of the fourth, when it scored six times to take a comfortable lead. The frame was highlighted by no-doubt home runs off the bats of Cantwell and Lutz, as well as a sacrifice fly from Daniel Cipriano.
 
SMU got back into the game with a four-run fifth, which was capped by a two-run single from McNally that made it a 10-7 ballgame. That was as close as the Saints got however, as MSUB scored nine of the next 10 runs to run away with the ballgame late.
 
Cipriano delivered a two-run double in the seventh, before Tanner Parker and Sam Powers had sacrifice flies in a three-run eighth inning. Wagenmann put the finishing touches on the blowout victory, blasting his first collegiate home run over the fence in left field with the bases full to make it a 19-8 ballgame.
 
Brooks Zimmer took a no-decision in the start, allowing seven runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in 4 2/3 innings of work. Mason Powell was outstanding in 3 1/3 innings of relief, earning his first collegiate win giving up just one run on four hit with two strikeouts and one walk. Cantwell finished the game on the mound, striking out 3 of 4 hitters he faced in a scoreless ninth inning.
 
Troy McCormick took the loss for SMU, giving up seven runs on five hits with four walks in three innings of work. Finnley Butler, Ryan Driscoll, and Derek Alumbaugh combined to finish the game on the mound for the Saints.
 
Lutz finished 3-for-3 and scored four runs, and the 'Jackets drew 10 walks while striking out just three times as a team.
 
Game 3 – MSU Billings 4, Saint Martin's 1 (8 Innings)
 
Tritch allowed just three hits in the longest outing of his collegiate career, while striking out three and keeping the Saints at bay. "Coach Wads and Coach Hape letting me continue to ride that outing out made the difference in the end, just because it showed me they had confidence in me no matter the situation," said Tritch, who threw 94 pitches. "The boys had already stepped up in the clutch once this weekend, so it was great to see them do it again."
 
With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Hayden Foltz laid down a picture-perfect bunt in between catcher Bryant Nakagawa and reliever Cole Hatton. The right hander fired too high to first base, and his errant throw allowed all three runs to cross the plate as MSUB pulled ahead 4-1.
 
Tritch calmly navigated through the bottom of the eighth inning, finishing his masterpiece by stranding a pair of runners. Tritch's performance overshadowed a stellar seven-inning outing by SMU starter Zach Alcos, who struck out one, walked three, and scattered four hits in the pitcher's duel to get the game to extra innings.
 
Cipriano gave MSUB the lead with an RBI-single in the top of the third inning, and narrowly missed doubling it when he was called out on a bang-bang play at the plate trying to score from first on Cantwell's double.
 
The lone blemish against Tritch came in the fifth inning, when a walk and a pair of wild pitches pushed Nakagawa to third base with only one out. McNally kept his hot day at the plate going with a sacrifice fly to center field, which evened the score at 1-1.
 
"Our guys just kept their composure in Game 4, and we had guy after guy perform," Waddoups said. "Everybody who stepped in from pinch runners scoring to guys coming off the bench, they were all ready to go. It was a great team weekend."
 
THE BUZZ: Tritch was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Tritch's previous career high in innings pitched was five, which he achieved on Feb. 24, 2019 during his career at North Dakota State…it was Tritch's first win in an MSUB uniform and his first since May 12, 2019 against Purdue Fort Wayne…Zimmer matched his career single-game high in strikeouts, after he had seven on March 9, 2019 at Northwest Nazarene…it was Cantwell's eighth-career pitching appearance and his first since May 4, 2018 against Central Washington…MSUB won the season series against the Saints 6-2, after taking 3 of 4 games in Billings on March 19 and March 21…MSUB is now 56-49-1 all-time against SMU and is 27-24-1 in games played in Lacey.
 
COMING UP: MSUB closes the 2021 regular season with eight crucial home contests, as the 'Jackets remain in the hunt for the 2021 GNAC Championships. The Yellowjackets host Western Oregon University in a four-game series at Dehler Park on April 29-30, before hosting third-place Central Washington University to close the season in what could prove to be the decisive series for the third and final playoff spot. Live video for all eight home games will be available online here, and live statistics will be available online here.