NAMPA, Ida. — Behing a dominant start from Cade Queen, the Montana State University Billings baseball team battled to a split in Saturday's GNAC doubleheader against Northwest Nazarene, riding a dominant complete-game effort to a 5–3 win in the opener before dropping a high-scoring 14–6 decision in the series finale at Elmore Vail Field.
 
The Yellowjackets (14-13, 8-4 GNAC) showcased consistent offensive production throughout the day, totaling 14 hits while generating traffic on the bases with four walks and five extra-base hits. Despite the split, MSUB demonstrated resilience at the plate in both contests, responding multiple times to NNU scoring pushes.
 
Game one was defined by the performance of right-hander Queen, who delivered a statement outing on the mound. The redshirt freshman went the full nine innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters.
 
At the plate, Nate McDonald paced the Yellowjackets in the opener, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, a run scored, and a walk. His clutch two-run single in the eighth inning ultimately proved to be the difference. Nick Reed added a pair of hits and an RBI, while Andrew Witt also turned in a multi-hit performance. Jason Wright contributed a double and scored a run, and Kyle Henington chipped in with a double and a run as MSUB's lineup produced from top to bottom.
 
"Queen was a bulldog today," said head coach Derek Waddoups. "To throw a complete game in a nine-inning matchup against a quality NNU team was outstanding. He set the tone early by attacking the zone. Offensively, I thought we competed well throughout the lineup and had good production. Game two, we just let it slip with some defensive miscues."
 
GAME ONE: MSUB 5; NNU 3
The Yellowjackets struck first in the opener, manufacturing three runs in the third inning despite recording just one hit in the frame. McDonald ignited the rally with a leadoff double before Henington reached on an error, placing runners at the corners. Following a strikeout, Jack Nehler worked a walk to load the bases, and Kaden Bertram drew another walk to force in the first run. River Smith followed with a sacrifice fly, and another NNU error allowed MSUB to push its lead to 3–0.
 
Northwest Nazarene answered with power, cutting into the deficit on a two-run home run in the fourth inning before tying the game at 3–3 with a solo shot in the sixth.
 
MSUB responded when it mattered most in the eighth inning. Reed started the rally with a single to left-center, and Wright followed by ripping a double down the right-field line to put both runners in scoring position. After a strikeout, McDonald came through once again, delivering a two-run single up the middle to give the Yellowjackets a 5–3 lead.
 
With the advantage restored, Queen took control down the stretch. He stranded two runners in the eighth inning and allowed just one extra-base hit in the ninth before closing out the complete-game victory, capping one of the most dominant pitching performances of the season for MSUB.
 
GAME TWO: MSUB 6; NNU 14
In game two, the Yellowjackets once again found early offensive rhythm but were ultimately undone by defensive miscues and a decisive late inning from the Nighthawks.
 
Northwest Nazarene jumped on the board in the first inning and then capitalized on MSUB errors in the second, scoring four runs—three of them unearned—to build an early 5–1 lead.
 
MSUB answered emphatically in the third inning with its most explosive offensive stretch of the day. Witt and McDonald opened the inning with back-to-back singles before a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Ryker Fortier drove in a run with a single to center, and Nehler followed with a clutch two-run double into the gap in left-center to bring the Yellowjackets within one. Bertram then tied the game with an RBI double down the right-field line, capping a five-hit inning that evened the score at 5–5.
 
The Nighthawks regained the lead with two runs in the fifth inning, again aided by defensive struggles, but MSUB refused to go away. In the sixth, Witt reached base and advanced on an error before coming around to score on an RBI single from Henington, trimming the deficit to 7–6 and keeping the pressure on.
 
However, the game shifted decisively in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Northwest Nazarene capitalized on a combination of walks, timely hits, and additional defensive miscues to erupt for seven runs in the frame, extending its lead to 14–6 and putting the game out of reach.
 
Bertram led the offensive effort in game two with a standout 3-for-4 performance that included a home run, a double, and two RBIs. Nehler drove in two runs, while Witt reached base multiple times and scored twice. Fortier added an RBI and a run scored, and Henington also drove in a run as the Yellowjackets continued to produce offensively despite the lopsided final score.
 
On the mound, Andrew White got the start and allowed one earned run in his inning of work. Carson Waples followed, surrendering three runs (two earned) over one inning. Scott Klinker provided a steady middle relief outing, allowing just one earned run across three innings while striking out two. Owen Combs, Blake Sweat, and Hayden Mullins closed out the game in relief.
 
STAT LEADERS
HITS: Andrew Witt (4)
RUNS: Three players tied (2)
RBI'S: Kaden Bertram (3)
IP: Cade Queen (9.0)
SO: Cade Queen (11)
W/S: Cade Queen (W)
 
THE BUZZ: Cade Queen was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game one and Kaden Bertram was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game two.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets will return to action next weekend as they continue GNAC play on the road against Central Washington.