Jackets Sweep Vulcans in Key PacWest Doubleheader (Apr. 10, 2005)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State-Billings pounded out 20 hits—including four home runs—Sunday in a PacWest doubleheader sweep of Hawaii-Hilo.  The Yellowjackets downed the first place Vulcans 7-5 and 11-6 to improve to 25-11 overall and 8-4 in the PacWest.  UH-Hilo dropped to 28-8, 13-3. 

The same teams meet again on Monday at 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. at Cenex Stadium.  The Vulcans still control the PacWest title race with just three losses and four games remaining.  Monday’s doubleheader will be vital in determining the conference champion.

The Yellowjackets built a lead and withstood a late Vulcans rally in the first game.  Joey Ehnes (Sr., Great Falls, MT) didn’t have her best outing of the season, but was good enough to earn the victory and improve to 20-8.  She gave up eight hits and five runs, three of them earned, in seven innings.  She struck out six without a walk.  Her next win will tie the school single season record, which she set last year.

MSU Billings took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Theresa Campbell (Sr., Great Falls, MT) hit a solo shot to left center to lead off the inning.  It was Campbell’s team-leading seventh home run of the season. 

The Vulcans tied the game in the top of the fourth on a Haunani Haasenritter RBI double.  The Jackets regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning when Christy Wankel’s (Jr., Great Falls, MT) triple down the right field line scored Natalie Luehr (So., Kalispell, MT).  MSUB added three runs in the bottom of the fifth to build a 5-2 lead.  Ehnes helped her own cause with a three run shot to straight away center to score Cami Rainey (Sr., Terreton, ID) and Jordan Waverek (Sr., Kalispell, MT).

The Vulcans rallied in the top of the sixth when Leo Sing Chow and Charity Senas each scored unearned runs.  MSUB answered with its third home run of the game, a Layne Pavey (Sr., Spokane, WA) two-run blast to center that landed just below the scoreboard.  Jessica Frank (Fr., Great Falls, MT) scored on Pavey’s homer after being hit by a pitch.  Sing Chow pitched all six innings for the Vulcans, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in the loss.

The Vulcans made things interesting in the top of the seventh.  Trailing 7-3, Lisa Jackson led off the inning with a home run. After Chelsea Osborne was hit by a pitch, Sing Chow doubled to drive her in to make the score 7-5.  UH-Hilo managed to move runners to second and third with no outs before Ehnes shut down the rally with a strikeout and pair of groundouts.

Sara Hanley (Sr., Kalispell, MT) was the only Yellowjacket with multiple hits in the game.  She was 2-for-3 with a double.  Ehnes was 1-for-3 with three RBI, and Pavey was 1-for-3 with two RBI.  UH-Hilo was paced by Sing Chow, who was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

It looked as though the wheels were going to come off early for the Yellowjackets in the second game.  Starter Megan McCrae (Sr., Brandon, Manitoba) gave up five runs in 2/3 of an inning, spotting the Vulcans a quick 5-0 lead.  Haasenritter hit a two-out grand slam for four of the runs.  McCrae was replaced by Waverek, who pitched the biggest game of her career for the win.  She went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and one run.

The Jacket offense rewarded Waverek with a dozen hits and 11 runs, helping her improve to 2-0 on the season.  UH-Hilo starter Sarah Steele went four innings and allowed 10 runs.  The Yellowjackets plated two in the first, three in the third and blew the game open with five runs in the fourth inning.  Campbell’s second homer of the day and eighth of the season capped the five-run fourth.  She is now tied for the conference home run lead.

After five of their eight hits in game one went for extra bases, the Jackets found ways to manufacture runs in the second game.  Along with Campbell’s home run, Ehnes doubled twice and Rainey doubled once.  The other eight hits were singles, and MSUB scored on sacrifice flies from Wankel, Stephanie Cochrun (Sr., Lake Stevens, WA) and Pavey.

Rachel Quarnburg (So., Billings, MT) was 3-for-3 in the game with an RBI and two runs.  Rainey and Ehnes each went 3-for-4 with three runs apiece.  Ehnes also drove in two runs.  Campbell and Wankel had a hit with two RBI apiece.  The Vulcans were led by Haasenritter, who went 2-for-3 and drove in five runs.