But, the Beavers couldn't lock down the win as NCAA Division II Montana State-Billings rallied with two outs in the seventh.
“Yeah, we thought we had the right combination in and we're right there,” said MSU head coach
Brock Weppler. “They (Billings) got a couple big hits and won it in extra innings. We tried a bunch of combinations and gave guys some time on the field, so there were a lot of positives.”
The Yellowjackets topped MSU 7-6 in eight innings in game 1 and completed the sweep with a 4-2 in game 2 to earn the nonconference sweep in college baseball Wednesday at Dehler Park.
In game 2, MSU carried a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh behind solid pitching from
Bryan Krahler (Sr., P, Fessenden, N.D.),
Shane Seddon (Jr., P, Winnipeg, Manitoba) and
Anthony Friesen (So., P, Somerset, Manitoba) Krahler went 3 1/3 innings giving up just three hits and two runs, Seddon pitched a scoreless inning and Friesen was solid for 2 1/3. But in the seventh, he walked a batter with two outs before surrendering a couple big hits for MSU-B.
“Anthony doesn't walk many and he just happened to late,” Weppler said. “It's too bad. We had a couple of good performances on the mound. Bryan pitched well, Shane did his job and Anthony has kind of a rubber arm.”
Both teams struggled with errors and walks as MSU had seven base on balls and an error, while the Yellowjackets gave up one walk and three errors.
“It seemed like every inning there was a walk or an error leading to a run,” Weppler said.
Jaret Chatwood (Sr., C/Util., Red Deer, Alberta) had two hits off his former squad, while
Caleb Heilman (Jr., 2B, Burlington, N.D.) and
Mitch Olson (So., 3B, Deloraine, Manitoba) had two runs batted in each.
In game 2, MSU was limited to just three hits by Yellowjacket pitching, but stayed in the game behind a solid relief effort by
Joshua Glaser (Jr., P, Citrus Heights, Calif.). Glaser went four innings of relief, giving up just one earned run.
“Glaser pitched pretty well in game 2,” said Weppler. “We were in position to win both games and that is a big positive. We certainly want to win games, but we're right there. We are staying positive. We hit the ball hard and pitched well. Like I said, we're right there.”
Nolan Jago (So., OF, Brandon, Manitoba) went 1-for-2 with two runs driven in in a pinch hit capacity.
Connor Moughtin (Fr., C, Victoria, British Columbia) and
Kory Houston (Sr., OF, Minot, N.D.) both went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
MSU (7-14 overall) is on the road at Jamestown College in Dakota Athletic Conference play Friday and Saturday, but the site is yet to be determined.
“There are a bunch of different scenarios right now – it's kind of up in the air,” Weppler said.
– GO BEAVERS –
