BILLINGS, Mont. – Strong starting pitching and offensive firepower propelled the Montana State University Billings baseball team to a home-opening sweep of Saint Martin's Saints (1-21, 1-5 GNAC) earlier this afternoon. The Yellowjackets (13-9, 4-2 GNAC) triumphed 8-6 in the first game and dominated 20-2 in the second game, sweeping the opening day of their four-game conference series.
HEAR FROM WADDOUPS: "Betancourt was outstanding in game one and really did a good job of attacking the strike zone. We had some really good two-strike hitting, especially from Kirshenbaum who extended the lead and ultimately won us the game. It was a great defensive bounce back in game two, we played a clean game, had timely hitting, and quality pitching to lead us to another victory. It was a complete game, and we had production throughout the entire lineup. I'm proud of our team effort today and Go 'Jackets."
GAME ONE: MSUB 8; SMU 6
Jackson Betancourt picked up his second win of the season and 10th of his career, tying for eighth in the MSUB record books. He pitched six strong innings, striking out five and allowing zero earned runs.
Andy Evans closed the game in the ninth inning, earning his fifth save of the season, which places him fifth all-time in the MSUB single season record book. Billings natives
Jaxon Meyer and
Gunner Thompson also contributed from the mound, combining for 2.2 innings of work with one strikeout and just two earned runs allowed.
At the plate,
Ryker Fortier and
Jack Nehler led the offense with two hits each. Fortier finished with one run, one RBI, one walk, one double, and a stolen base in three plate appearances. MSUB spread its offensive production around, with nine hits from seven different players, eight runs scored by seven players, and six RBIs contributed by five different batters.
GAME TWO: MSUB 20; SMU 2
Also putting on a masterclass start;
Brennen Chappell earned his first career win as a Yellowjacket after tossing four scoreless innings, striking out four, and allowing just two hits.
Lance Schaaf threw two innings, striking out one and allowing two runs, while
Cole Bertram closed out the game with one hit allowed in one inning of work.
Backing the staff, the Yellowjackets erupted for 20 runs on 14 hits, capitalizing on six Saint Martin's errors in just six innings. MSUB's lineup saw contributions from 14 different players, with 13 different players scoring runs.
Bodee Wright and Fortier each had two hits, combining for three runs and two RBIs.
Kaden Kirshenbaum drove in a team-high four runs, with
Ryan Jeffrey close behind with three RBIs.
Jack Nehler also scored three times, while
Zack Blaszak, Kirshenbaum,
Nate May, and
Parker Bleggi each crossed the plate twice. Kirshenbaum, Fortier, and May each added doubles, while Wright and Nehler each collected a triple. Wright's triple moved him into third place in the MSUB record books for career triples, now just three away from the top spot.
STATISTIC LEADERS
H: Ryker Fortier (4);
Jack Nehler (3)
R: Kaden Bertram (3);
Jack Nehler (3);
Zack Blaszak (3);
Ryker Fortier (3)
RBI: Kaden Kirshenbaum (5);
Ryan Jeffrey (4)
2B: Ryker Fortier (2);
Kaden Kirshenbaum (1);
Nate May (1)
IP: Jackson Betancourt (6.0);
Brennen Chappell (4.0)
SO: Jackson Betancourt (5);
Brennen Chappell (4)
W/S: Jackson Betancourt (W);
Brennen Chappell (W);
Andy Evans (S)
THE BUZZ: Jackson Betancourt was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game one and
Nate May for game two!
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings baseball team is back in action again tomorrow for another GNAC double-header against the Saint Martin's Saints starting at 12:00 PM. Tickets for the home matchup can be found
here, live statistics can be found
here, and the live stream link can be found
here.
