BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings Yellowjacket baseball team (11-10, 5-1 GNAC) defeated the Saint Martin's University Saints (8-13, 0-2 GNAC) twice on Friday, with 21-7 and 7-3 victories on the opening day of their four-game series at Pirtz Field.
The Yellowjacket offense exploded in game one to score a season high 21 runs, totaling 25 hits and four home runs. Nine Jackets recorded a hit, with six of them tallying three or more. Pitcher
Sam Coxen had nine strikeouts in six innings of work to keep the Saint's offense at bay. The second game was a closer battle between the two, but the bats stayed hot for the Jackets with 12 hits, including a two home run performance from freshman catcher
Landon Carter. Brennan Chappell was lights out on the mound, firing off 14 strikeouts in a complete seven inning performance.
HEAR FROM WADDOUPS: "I love what our team offense did today throughout the day today. We had some great base running that led to runs. We executed and put the ball in play. Nehler led the offensive surge in game one. He is a great leader and makes the players around home better. We had quality production from every part of the order.
Landon Carter was the guy in game two. His two home runs proved to be the difference against a quality arm. Chappell was electric. 14 strikeouts with only one walk and a complete game is big time stuff for our team."
GAME 1: MSUB 21, SMU 7
The Jackets' bats were on fire in the first game of the day, smacking 25 hits with nine of those going for extra bases. Senior
Jack Nehler led the charge by going 5-6 with two home runs, five runs driven in, and scoring four times. Nehler's five hits marks his second week in a row with a five-hit game.
Kaden Bertram followed close behind with four hits in five at bats that included a double, home run, and three runs driven in.
Kyle Henington,
Ryker Fortier,
River Smith, and
Nick Reed had three hits each, with Reed smashing the first home run of his collegiate career.
Nate McDonald,
Cole Ayala, and
Cade Queen each contributed a hit as well.
Sophomore
Sam Coxen got the start on the mound for the Yellowjackets, going six complete innings and striking out a career high nine batters. Coxen allowied just five hits, three walks, and four earned runs. Freshman
Blake Sweat would enter for an inning of relief, recording a strikeout and just one hit.
Andrew White would come in the eighth inning, also recording a strikeout and no runs. Freshman
Carson Waples closed out the ninth by with a strikeout and getting the Saint's on a ground-out double play.
GAME 2: MSUB 7, SMU 3
The Saints would strike first in the game, scoring off doubles from SMU's Evan Nicol and Brenden Haverlock in the first and second innings to give the Saints an early 2-0 lead. The Jackets' responded with a run in the bottom of the inning from a
Jack Nehler double that scored
Kyle Henington, who reached on a single. MSUB kept up the hot offense in the bottom of the second off a two-run bomb from freshman
Landon Carter. The Yellowjackets would then tack on three more in the third inning starting with an RBI single from
Cole Ayala, who was then driven in on yet another
Landon Carter home run to bring the score to 6-2.
Kaden Bertram and
Jack Nehler would smack back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fourth to bring the lead to five. The Saints would bring one more run home off a solo shot from Kelton Tom in the top of the seventh inning, but the Yellowjackets would claim the victory 7-3.
Brennan Chappell's recent domination on the pitching mound continued Friday evening with a career-high 14 strikeout performance while allowing just five hits, two earned runs, and one walk. Chappell leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in strikeouts with 45, which also puts him for the second most in NCAA DII this season.
STAT LEADERS
Jack Nehler – 8-10, 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI
Ryker Fortier – 5-8, 3 RBI
Landon Carter – 2-2, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Sam Coxen – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 9 SO, W
Brennan Chappell – 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 14 SO, W
THE BUZZ: Jack Nehler was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game one after recording five hits with two home runs and five RBI's. Brennan Chappell was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game two after a seven-inning complete game and a career high 14 strikeouts.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings Yellowjacket baseball team will continue their conference series against Saint Martin's University tomorrow at Pirtz Field with a doubleheader at 12 & 3 PM.
