YAKIMA, Wash. — The Montana State University Billings baseball team opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference play in emphatic fashion Friday, sweeping Central Washington in dominant fashion at Yakima County Stadium. The Yellowjackets rolled to a 14-3 victory in the opener before grinding out a 3-2 win in the nightcap to secure the doubleheader sweep.
With the pair of victories, MSUB improved to 8-9 overall and 2-0 in conference action, combining explosive offense with overpowering starting pitching. Across the two games, the Yellowjackets scored 17 runs on 22 hits, including eight extra-base knocks, while their starting pitchers delivered 14 combined innings, 14 strikeouts, just nine hits allowed and only one earned run.
In game one,
Sam Coxen delivered a strong outing to earn the win. The right-hander tossed 7.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six and walking one.
Cody Snow worked the eighth inning while
Lance Schaaf closed out the ninth with a scoreless frame, striking out one.
Kyle Henington spearheaded the 18-hit performance, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base.
Ryker Fortier was flawless at the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base.
Nate McDonald turned in a 3-for-5 effort with a double, three runs scored and two RBI.
Jack Nehler added a pair of hits with two RBI, while
Adam Rowland was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
River Smith finished 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.
Espn Fisher doubled as part of his 1-for-5 day, and
Nick Reed added a pinch-hit double in the eighth inning.
"We were on point in game one today," said head coach
Derek Waddoups. "We had fantastic team at bats up and down the lineup behind an outstanding start from Coxen."
In game two,
Brennen Chappell turned in a complete-game performance to earn the win. The senior right-hander allowed zero earned runs on five hits across 7.0 innings, striking out eight and walking two to seal his second victory of the season.
Nehler paced the offense in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base.
Cole Ayala finished 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Fortier went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
"Chappell was dominant in game two," Waddoups said. "We had a few defensive hiccups late in the game, but it was great to see him finish it out for the complete game. Central's pitcher threw a great game as well, but we were able to do just enough to pull of the doubleheader sweep."
GAME ONE: MSUB 14; CWU 3
MSUB set the tone immediately in the first contest, striking for two runs in the top of the first inning. Henington laced a leadoff double and later scored on a Nehler RBI single. Smith followed with a run-scoring walk as the 'Jackets capitalized on early traffic.
The offense erupted again in the second inning. McDonald opened the frame with a double, and MSUB took advantage of defensive errors to plate four runs and stretch the lead to 6-0. The Yellowjackets added two more in the third on a Fortier RBI double and another run that came home on an error, pushing the advantage to 8-0.
After Central Washington scratched across a run in the fifth, MSUB answered with two in the sixth. Nehler delivered an RBI single to center, scoring Rowland, before the 'Jackets broke the game open with a four-run seventh.
McDonald highlighted the inning with a two-run single, Henington followed with an RBI sacrifice fly, and Fortier capped the rally with a run-scoring single to make it 14-1.
GAME TWO: MSUB 3; CWU 2
Game two presented a different script, as runs were at a premium. MSUB again jumped ahead in the first inning. Fortier singled and came around to score on Nehler's RBI double to center field. Ayala followed with a double down the left-field line to plate Nehler and give the Yellowjackets a 2-0 edge.
The score remained unchanged until the fifth inning. Rowland reached and eventually scored on Nehler's RBI single to center, extending the lead to 3-0. Nehler later stole second to move into scoring position but was unable to come home and score.
Central Washington mounted a late push in the seventh, capitalizing on defensive miscues to score two runs and cut the deficit to 3-2. However, MSUB held firm to secure the 3-2 win and complete their Friday sweep.
STAT LEADERS
Hits: Ryker Fortier (5);
Jack Nehler (4)
Runs: Ryker Fortier (4);
Kyle Henington (4)
RBIs: Jack Nehler (4)
SO: Brennen Chappell (8);
Sam Coxen (6)
IP: Sam Coxen (7.0);
Brennen Chappell (7.0)
W: Sam Coxen (W);
Brennen Chappell (W)
CG: Brennen Chappell
THE BUZZ: Sam Coxen was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game one after throwing seven complete innings with six strikeouts and one earned run while
Brennen Chappell earned the honor for game two after throwing a seven-inning complete game with eight strikeouts and zero earned runs.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings baseball team will continue their GNAC-opening series against Central Washington tomorrow for another doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM (MT).
