BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings baseball team capped off its weekend series with a strong response, earning a split against No. 15-ranked Northwest Nazarene (29-12, 18-5) after a dominant 9-1 win in game four. The Yellowjackets (24-12, 15-5) dropped a tightly contested game three, 4-3 but bounced back in a big way to close the series on a high note.
In game three, true freshman
Sam Coxen continued to impress on the mound, tossing 5.1 innings of shutout baseball in terms of earned runs. He allowed just five hits and struck out three, turning in a strong performance despite the narrow loss. At the plate,
Bodee Wright led the charge for the Yellowjackets, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, and a walk.
MSUB's pitching stayed sharp in game four, with standout performances from
Cy Miller and
Andy Evans powering a dominant win. Miller earned his fourth victory of the season, giving up just two hits and one run over five solid innings. Evans sealed the deal with two scoreless frames, allowing only one hit while striking out two. Offensively,
Jack Nehler had a big day, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs to help pace the Yellowjackets.
HEAR FROM COACH WADDOUPS: "Coxen pitched an outstanding game today. We had one unfortunate defensive miscue but defensively competed and made plays all weekend, which was great to see. Additionally, our outfield play was elite from Fortier, Jeffrey, and Kirshenbaum. I was really proud of how our guys bounced back in game two. Miller and Evans commanded the zone and were dominant on the mound for us. We continue to get quality production one-nine which is proving what makes us tough as a team."
GAME THREE: MSUB 3; NNU 4
True freshman
Sam Coxen turned in another impressive outing in game three, tossing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run and striking out three. The Yellowjackets jumped out to an early lead behind
Bodee Wright, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a double, and a walk.
Ryker Fortier added an RBI single in the third to extend the lead to 3-0.
However, a costly defensive miscue in the fourth opened the door for the Nighthawks, who capitalized with four unearned runs. Despite threatening over the final three frames, MSUB couldn't find the equalizer.
Andy Evans finished the game strong on the mound, allowing just one hit over 1.2 scoreless innings.
GAME FOUR: MSUB 9; NNU 1
MSUB wasted no time setting the tone in the series finale, plating two runs in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI single from
Kaden Kirshenbaum. After NNU responded with a run in the second, the Yellowjackets exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Kaden Bertram scored on a wild pitch,
Jack Nehler drove in two with a single, and Kirshenbaum capped the inning with a two-run homer — his blast bringing him within one of second place on MSUB's all-time home run list.
Parker Bleggi added a two-run single in the third to stretch the lead to 9-1. On the mound,
Cy Miller picked up his fourth win of the season with five solid innings of two-hit, one-run ball. Evans closed it out once again, striking out two and allowing just one hit in two scoreless innings.
STATISTIC LEADERS
H: Jack Nehler (4); Five players tied (2)
R: Kaden Bertram (3); Three players tied (2)
RBI: Kaden Kirshenbaum (3);
Jack Nehler (2);
Bodee Wright (2)
IP: Sam Coxen (5.1);
Cy Miller (5.0);
Andy Evans (3.2)
SO: Sam Coxen (3);
Andy Evans (2)
W/S: Cy Miller (W)
THE BUZZ: Sam Coxen was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game three, and
Jack Nehler was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game four.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings baseball team hits the road for a four game GNAC series against the Saint Martin's Saints. First pitch is set for April 18
th at 1:00 PM (MT) in Lacey Washington. Live statistics for the matchup can be found
here and the live stream link can be found
here.
