ELLENSBURG, Wash. – A three-run top of the seventh in the series finale on Saturday at the CWU Baseball Field gave the Montana State University Billings baseball team a doubleheader sweep over host Central Washington University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
After reaching their season high in runs with a 22-15 win in Game 1 Saturday, the Yellowjackets overcame a 7-5 deficit in the final inning of the series to stun CWU with an 8-7 win. "I am proud of our group today with two comeback wins," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. "It is not easy to keep grinding from behind, but our group showed a lot of character today."
 
Dominick Buso went 5-for-8 with six RBIs in the doubleheader, leading a Yellowjacket offense that scored 30 runs on 38 hits. MSUB bumped its record up to 18-16 overall and is now 9-7 in conference play. "We had production up and down the lineup today, and I was really proud of our offensive approach at the plate," Waddoups said. "Our guys stayed tough and really fought out long at-bats."
 
The Wildcats meanwhile slipped to 11-22 overall and are now 5-11 in GNAC contests.
 
Game 1 – MSU Billings 22, Central Washington 15
 
The Yellowjackets solidified Michael Buchanan's first victory of the year with a six-run ninth inning, responding to CWU's three-run eighth that made the score 16-14. The final rally of a rollercoaster game proved to be most important, with Hayden Foltz leading off the frame with a double and MSUB sending 10 hitters to the plate. Buso had a big two-run double to cap the scoring and give an eight-run cushion to Tyler Elliott who pitched the ninth.
 
Mason Powell went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, while Foltz finished 4-for-7 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Cooper Dulich broke the school record and tied the GNAC record by scoring five runs in the game, and all nine Yellowjackets had at least one hit, run scored, and RBI.
 
Buchanan helped limit the Wildcats to three earned runs on six hits with one strikeout and one walk in his three innings of work. That came after Blake Rainey logged 3 2/3 innings with four runs allowed on three hits in early relief of starter Jackson Betancourt.
 
The Wildcats also utilized four different pitchers in the game, with starter Dylan Weese allowing seven runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Zach Berryman led CWU at the plate, going 4-for-6, while Adam Fahsel and Trevor Tripoli were each 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
 
The Yellowjackets struck first with a three-run first inning, but the Wildcats responded by taking the early lead with a four-run bottom of the frame. CWU continued to add on through the first three innings, building a 9-3 advantage by the end of the third.
 
Carson Green had a key two-run single amid a four-run fourth inning, and the Yellowjackets scored 10 runs over the next three frames to pull ahead for good. A five-run fifth inning featured a two-run double by James Anderson, and four different Yellowjackets had RBIs in the inning.
 
The Wildcats took advantage of an MSUB error to pull within two in the bottom of the eighth, but the big response by the 'Jackets in the ninth closed the door on a late CWU comeback.
 
Game 2 – MSU Billings 8, Central Washington 7 (7 Innings)
 
A fielding error kicked off the series-clinching rally, as Dulich led off the top of the seventh by reaching. The Wildcats still held the advantage after a double play, but the next five Yellowjackets reached – three by way of a walk – to push the score to 8-7 in favor of the visitors.
 
Brooks Zimmer earned his first win of the year, by holding CWU scoreless over the final two innings and retiring all six batters he faced while striking out one. "Zimmer was outstanding in relief today," said Waddoups. "He had three pitches for strikes and did a really nice job against a tough lineup."
 
The Yellowjackets had a two-out opportunity right out of the gate, but CWU starter Nolan Miliman stranded runners on second and third to get out of the top of the first unscathed. Miliman wound up allowing four runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in his 3 2/3 innings of work.
 
A sacrifice fly off the bat of Buso gave MSUB a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, and the Wildcats responded in the bottom of the inning to tie the score on a sacrifice fly by Tyler McClain.
 
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the third set the Wildcats up for a rally, and the hosts pulled ahead 3-1 after four total free passes were issued in the inning. Three different Yellowjackets had RBIs in the top of the fourth, which was capped by an RBI-double off the bat of Anderson to put MSUB back in front 4-3.
 
The 'Cats responded by nudging themselves ahead 5-4, using a two-out single by Michael Copeland to take the lead back.
 
PJ Ausmus plated a run with a ground out in the top of the fifth to tie the score again, but the Wildcats received what proved to be the biggest hit of the game from Zach Berryman as his one-out, two-run single made the score 7-5.
 
Ausmus finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the game, while Buso was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. "Ausmus did a fantastic job today both defensively and offensively," Waddoups said. "He came through in the clutch at the plate."
 
MSUB starter Connor Redmond allowed two runs on no hits, with a strikeout and three walks through two innings before handing the ball off to Ty Wilson for the next three frames.
THE BUZZ: Ausmus was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…the Yellowjackets' 22 runs and 24 hits in Game 1 were both season highs…Dulich became the 20th player in GNAC history to score five times in a game…the most recent player to score five runs was Anthony Zellner of Western Oregon, against MSUB on April 30, 2021…Dulich broke a school record that had been achieved 28 times, with the most recent Yellowjacket to score four times in a game being Sam Powers on April 29, 2021 against Western Oregon…MSUB is now 61-55 all-time against CWU and is 29-25 in road games.
 
NEXT WEEK: The Yellowjackets return to the Magic City to host Western Oregon University in a four-game series at Dehler Park on April 8-9. Live coverage of the series will be available online here.