BILLINGS, Mont. – Responding to two losses on Friday at Dehler Park, visiting Western Oregon University rallied to win both ends of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader over Montana State University Billings to wrap up the series on Saturday.
 
The Wolves claimed the opening game 8-6, before sealing the series with a 10-6 triumph in Game 2 on Saturday. "I'm overall pleased with our offensive approach this weekend," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. "We really grinded out at-bats, and to fight back in both games today was good. We gave them too many free passes on the mound that they capitalized on."
 
Jackson Holstad and John Stark each homered in both ends of the doubleheader, highlighting a windy day in which the visitors hit six long balls. Holstad finished the day 4-for-8 with six RBIs, while Stark was 3-for-7 with three RBIs in the doubleheader. Leighton Moniz and Justyn Herzog each also homered for WOU, which moved back into second place in the GNAC standings at 21-14 overall and 12-8 in conference play.
 
Carson Green went 4-for-8 with three RBIs, four runs scored, and a pair of home runs to pace the Yellowjackets on Saturday. Cooper Dulich hit his second home run of the season, and Blake Murray hit his first long ball in a Yellowjacket uniform. MSUB moved to 20-18 overall and 11-9 in GNAC games, while snapping a five-game winning streak.
 
"It was good baseball all weekend," Waddoups said on all four games being decided by four runs or less. "We played good defense, we answered back a lot, and that is good competition in the GNAC."
 
Game 1 – Western Oregon 8, MSU Billings 6
 
Holstad delivered the crushing blow in Game 1, ripping a three-run home run over the fence in right field in the top of the eighth inning to break a 5-5 tie and put the Wolves ahead for good. The Yellowjackets scored once in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but Bryce Bond closed out the game to give WOU its first win of the day.
 
Bond earned his second victory of the season, allowing one unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk in three strong innings of work. His effort came after Sebasten Boivin logged three shutout innings as the Yellowjackets scored just once over the final six frames of the game.
 
MSUB starter Jackson Betancourt threw a season-high seven innings, helping keep his team in the game with five runs allowed on nine hits while striking out three and walking two. Michael Buchanan allowed the home run to Holstad, before Brooks Zimmer kept the Wolves scoreless over the final 1 1/3 innings. "Jackson really settled in and put up several zeroes in-a-row," Waddoups said on the freshman left-hander. "I was happy to see him elongate that outing, and that was big for us. I am proud of him for his effort today on the mound."
 
Western Oregon got out to the early lead, with Stark and Moniz riding back-to-back homers over the fence in right to make the score 3-0 after the top of the second.
 
Momentum shifted when Green crushed a two-run homer to right in the bottom of the third, and Dulich and Tyler Godfrey followed with RBI knocks to make the score 4-3. Hayden Foltz followed with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to give MSUB a two-run cushion, but it was the final run the 'Jackets managed until the ninth-inning comeback that fell short.
 
Holstad led off the top of the seventh with a double into the left-field corner and scored on a Levi Cummings single, before Derek Maiben delivered a two-out, game-tying single to make the score 5-5.
 
Game 2 – Western Oregon 10, MSU Billings 6 (7 Innings)
 
It was Holstad who once again had the biggest swing of the game, as his second three-run homer of the day highlighted a four-run fourth inning that proved to be the turning point. With the Wolves trailing 3-2 and two outs, Holstad turned around on an inside pitch and put his team in front with a three-run shot. WOU ended up scoring eight unanswered runs, and the 'Jackets ran out of room for a late comeback.
 
Herzog's home run came in the top of the first inning, as he lifted a two-run shot over the fence in right to make the score 2-0 right away. MSUB starter Connor Redmond settled down after that, and battled through 4 1/3 innings allowing seven runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
 
Green hit the first pitch thrown by Parker Johnson over the fence in right in the bottom of the first, to help MSUB respond to WOU's early momentum. "Carson is just a tough out," Waddoups said. "He does a good job at the top of our order energizing our offense and keeping us moving."
 
Johnson pitched well enough to earn his sixth win of the year, allowing five runs on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks in his five innings of work. Chris Hardin and Matthew Dunaway combined to limit MSUB to one run on one hit over the final two innings of the game.
 
MSUB temporarily pulled ahead, when Foltz delivered an RBI-double and James Anderson followed with an RBI-single to make the score 3-2 in the bottom of the third.
 
Dulich led off the sixth with a solo homer to right, and after Godfrey drew a walk Murray smashed a two-run shot with two outs to give the 'Jackets hope and cut the deficit to four runs. Dunaway, who surrendered a three-run lead in the ninth inning of the opening game of the series on Friday, made quick work of the 'Jackets in the bottom of the seventh however and retired the side in order.
 
THE BUZZ: Green was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Green now ranks second on the team with five home runs this season…Green upped his career home run total to 19…Western Oregon claimed the season series between the teams 5-3, after winning 3 of 4 games in Oregon in the first series of the year…Murray's home run was the second of his collegiate career, with his first coming on March 28, 2021 during his career at Southwestern Community College.
 
AHEAD: The Yellowjackets are off next weekend, before hosting Saint Martin's University in a four-game GNAC series at Dehler Park on April 22-23. Live coverage for the next home series will be available online here. "It'll be good to have a weekend off to let bodies heal, and get guys healthy for the stretch run," said Waddoups. "I like the style of baseball we are playing right now, and I like where we are at heading down the stretch."