BILLINGS, Mont. – A seventh-inning comeback by the Montana State University Billings baseball team fell just short in Game 2 on Friday at Dehler Park, as the Yellowjackets settled for a doubleheader split against Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Northwest Nazarene University.
 
Carson Green broke up Brock Moffitt's perfect game bid when he doubled on the first pitch of the seventh inning, after the Nighthawk left-hander retired the first 18 hitters he faced in Friday's nightcap. The Yellowjackets got the tying run into scoring position, but NNU closer Max Holtzclaw sealed his GNAC-leading ninth save of the year to preserve a 3-2 win for NNU. The Yellowjackets took Game 1 on Friday 10-5, behind another dominant start from senior ace Dylan Barkley.
 
"We played awesome throughout the day," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. "Our offense came out in Game 1 and was outstanding, and we just kept grinding out at-bats. We had a lot of clutch hits, and were able to open it up a bit. They are a great baseball team, and they play the game right. They don't give you many opportunities, so (tomorrow) is going to be good baseball. I like the way we are playing and the arms we have going tomorrow, so it'll be another good day."
 
Hayden Foltz hit his first home run of the season, and he, Green, and Tyler Godfrey each had three hits while freshman Cooper Dulich went 4-for-7 in the doubleheader. The Yellowjackets kept their record at .500 on the year, moving to 14-14 overall and 5-5 in conference games.


 
Grant Kerry went 3-for-8 with a double, while Haden Keller and Duke Pahukoa each homered in Game 2 to help the Nighthawks salvage a win. NNU is now 18-12 on the season and moved to 10-4 in league play after Friday's split.

Game 1 – MSU Billings 10, Northwest Nazarene 5
 
In a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated, the Yellowjackets commanded momentum from the second inning onward. Barkley was stellar through his six innings of work, scattering three hits and allowing one unearned run while striking out six and walking two. "Barkley came out and set the tone, and he really pitched well," Waddoups said regarding the lefty, who earned his fourth victory of the season.


 
Blake Rainey retired 6 of 7 hitters he faced in two shutout innings of relief, and Sage Wayment helped MSUB overcome a bumpy four-run ninth by NNU by striking out the final hitter to end the game.
 
NNU starter Kyle Ethridge struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning, but it wound up being his most effective frame as he was saddled with the defeat allowing three runs on five hits in his four innings of work. Ethridge struck out nine hitters, but Shane Martin followed allowing four runs in the next 1 1/3 innings as the deficit grew too large for NNU to overcome.
 
The construction of MSUB's lead occurred in brick-by-brick fashion, as the 'Jackets scored in five consecutive innings from the second through the sixth to pull ahead 7-1. Mason Powell got the scoring started with an RBI-single in the bottom of the second, before a keen piece of baserunning by James Anderson doubled the tally in the third. With two outs and Green on third, Anderson perfectly executed a delay steal by getting caught in a rundown long enough to allow Green to score and make it 2-0.
 
A defensive miscue by Pahukoa – who otherwise had an outstanding day both at the plate and in the field – allowed Dulich to score in the fourth, before the Nighthawks took advantage of the only error in the game by the 'Jackets to get on the board in the fifth.
 
Perhaps the most important swing of the bat came from Mitch Winter with two outs in the fifth, when he laced a double into the gap in left-center that scored Godfrey and Anderson. Ethan Babcock-Barrie followed with an RBI-single to left, upping the spread to 7-1 by the end of the sixth. "It was up and down the lineup," Waddoups commented on the team's 10-run effort in the series opener. "From the second inning on we kept putting pressure on, kept taking quality at-bats and got through the baseball."
 
Powell also had one of the most important defensive plays of the game, leaping up to snag a line drive off the bat of Ryan Dearing that was headed into left field. Instead of a two-out, two-run single, the catch ended the sixth inning and helped Barkley complete his outing by stranding the bases loaded.
 
NNU's comeback effort was thrice hampered by a double play, as Godfrey, Dulich, and Anderson turned one in each of the final three innings to aid in the series-opening victory. All four of NNU's runs in the ninth were scored with two outs, as three walks and three hits helped give the visitors a sliver of hope before Wayment ended the game by punching out Cameron Bogard.
 
Dulich went 3-for-4 with three runs scored in the opener, while Kerry had two of NNU's three RBIs. Nick Irwin was effective in relief for NNU, inheriting a bases-loaded situation in the sixth and retiring back-to-back hitters to get out of the jam. He retired all five hitters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts in his 1 2/3 innings of work.
 
Game 2 – Northwest Nazarene 3, MSU Billings 2 (7 Innings)
 
Foltz followed Green's seventh-inning double with a triple to the gap in left-center, and the back-to-back extra-base hits ended Moffitt's outstanding effort on the mound. Dulich kept the game alive with a two-out double into the left-field corner after Holtzclaw struck out two in-a-row, but the gritty right-hander bore down and got Winter to offer on a check swing to leave the tying run stranded on second.
 
"Game 2 was just a great baseball game," Waddoups said regarding the pitcher's duel. "Their guy threw great, and Houlihan really only had two balls hit hard – it just happened that they got out of the yard."
 
Moffitt's encounter with history overshadowed a fine start by Yellowjacket right-hander Matthew Houlihan, who went the distance on the hill for MSUB. Houlihan struck out five and walked none, while scattering five hits in his efficient, 92-pitch outing.
 
A single off the bat of Walker Moore was the only baserunner for NNU through its first three innings at the plate, before Keller sneaked a fly ball over the fence in right-center to give the Nighthawks a 1-0 advantage in the fourth.
 
MSUB's hardest hit ball in the first six innings came off the bat of Foltz, who smoked a sharp ground ball to Kerry at first base. The reigning All-American handled a tricky hop, and had enough time to beat Foltz to the bag to preserve the perfect game.
 
Dulich also had a stellar defensive play, which came after Moore reached on an error to lead off the fifth inning. Kyle Payne smashed a nasty ground ball to the freshman shortstop, who squared up and smothered an in-between hop with his body to keep the ball close. The heads-up play left him with just enough time to beat the speedy Moore with an on-target throw to Godfrey covering second base.
 
With momentum already on their side, the Nighthawks stormed ahead when Kerry led off the seventh with a knock and Pahukoa took on the big part of the yard with a two-run homer to deep left-center field. Houlihan shook off the blow and got through the rest of the seventh unscathed, giving his team one final chance at a comeback in the bottom of the seventh.
 
"I love the way the guys went about it," Waddoups said on responding to being held off the bases through the first six innings. "Especially giving up the two runs late, it would have been easy to roll over. To come out and have three big hits, and to continue to fight was really impressive by the guys."
 
THE BUZZ: Foltz was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…the home run was the second of his collegiate career…MSUB is now 56-59 all-time against NNU and is 27-29 in home games against the Nighthawks…the 'Jackets snapped a nine-game losing skid in the series against the Nighthawks with the Game 1 win on Friday…the complete game was Houlihan's second of the year.
 
NEXT UP: The series concludes on Saturday with a noon first pitch in another doubleheader at Dehler Park. Live video will be available online here and live statistics will be available online here.