BILLINGS, Mont. — What proved to be a walk-off weekend for the Montana State University Billings baseball team, the Yellowjackets secured a statement series victory over No. 23 Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at Dehler Park, walking off the opener 8–7 before dominating the nightcap 9–1 to claim its first series win over the Nighthawks since 2019.
The Yellowjackets (24-20; 18-11 GNAC) piled up 24 hits across the doubleheader and delivered in key moments, highlighted by a dramatic ninth inning walk-off by
Jason Wright in game one and a dominant pitching performance from
Hayden Mullins in game two.
"What a great series win against a nationally ranked and top team in the west region," said head coach
Derek Waddoups. "Our pitching staff was outstanding this weekend, capped off by the game four complete game from Mullins. Queen also gave us an outstanding start today, dominating in his outing to help us sweep the day. Our offense was really clicking all series long and our timely hitting led to a lot of runs and we just continued to execute. I loved the resilience we showed after they tied it back up in game one to get our second walk-off win on the weekend."
GAME ONE: MSUB 8; NNU 7
In the opener, MSUB wasted no time seizing control. The 'Jackets plated three runs in the first inning as
Ryker Fortier sparked the offense by reaching base and eventually scoring on
Jack Nehler's RBI single.
Kaden Bertram followed with a double, and
Nick Reed drove in another run before
River Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 3–0.
The momentum continued in the second inning when
Espn Fisher launched his first career home run to deep left field, igniting a four-run frame. A wild pitch, a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, and another sacrifice fly helped MSUB stretch its lead to 7–0.
Northwest Nazarene slowly clawed back, scoring once in the third and adding two runs in the seventh. The game turned in the eighth inning when the Nighthawks capitalized on two MSUB errors, plating four unearned runs to tie the game at 7–7.
Despite the shift in momentum, the 'Jackets responded in the bottom of the ninth.
Nate McDonald drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Fisher. After a strikeout, Wright delivered the decisive blow, ripping a single through the left side to score McDonald and complete the walk-off win.
Offensively,
Jack Nehler led MSUB going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Reed was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and reached base four times, while Wright finished 2-for-6 with a run scored and the game-winning RBI. Fisher went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, and
Adam Rowland added a 2-for-4 performance with a run scored.
On the mound,
Cade Queen gave the 'Jackets a strong start, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing one earned run on eight hits with five strikeouts.
Malcolm Bartholomew contributed a pair of outs before
Scott Klinker earned the win, working 2.1 innings and allowing no earned runs on two hits while striking out two.
GAME FOUR: MSUB 9; NNU 1
In game two of the day, MSUB carried its momentum into another fast start. The 'Jackets struck for three runs in the first inning, highlighted by
Kaden Bertram's two-run single and a run scoring on a double play.
They added another run in the second before breaking the game open in the third with four runs on five hits.
Adam Rowland drove in a run with a single,
Jason Wright followed with an RBI double, and
Ryker Fortier capped the inning with a two-run single to push the lead to 8–0.
MSUB tacked on one more run in the fifth and never looked back, as the pitching staff shut down the Nighthawks' offense.
Ryker Fortier led the charge with a perfect 4-for-4 performance, adding a double, two RBI, and a run scored.
Jason Wright was 2-for-2 with a double, three runs scored, an RBI, and two walks.
Jack Nehler finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a hit-by-pitch, while
Kaden Bertram went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Adam Rowland added a 2-for-3 outing with an RBI and two runs scored.
In just his second career start as a Yellowjacket on the mound, Mullins delivered one of his best outings of the season, throwing a complete-game seven-inning performance. The right-hander allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out eight and walking three.
STAT LEADERS
H: Five players tied (4)
R: Jason Wright (4)
RBI: Jack Nehler (3)
IP: Hayden Mullins (7.0);
Cade Queen (6.0)
SO: Hayden Mullins (8);
Cade Queen (5)
W: Hayden Mullins (Win);
Scott Klinker (Win)
THE BUZZ: Nick Reed was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game one and
Hayden Mullins was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for game two.
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets will return back to Dehler on May 1-2, taking on Colorado School of Mines for a three-game stretch to finish out their 2026 regular season. MSUB will honor their seniors with a ceremony before first pitch in game one at 11:45 AM.
