Yellowjackets Earn Split to Win Series with Vulcans (Apr. 11, 2005)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State-Billings rebounded from a 2-0 loss to Hawaii-Hilo in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader to win game two, 9-8, taking the four game season series with the Vulcans 3-1.  The Yellowjackets are now 26-12 overall and 9-5 in the PacWest.  UH-Hilo moved to 29-9 overall and 14-4 in the conference.

The split gives UH-Hilo a .778 conference winning percentage with just two games remaining.  The Vulcans host second place Hawaii Pacific on April 23.  HPU is 8-4 (.667) followed by MSU Billings with a .643 winning percentage.  The Sea Warriors have six games remaining, four against Chaminade and two against UH-Hilo.  The Jackets play four more PacWest games against Western New Mexico.  One more Hawaii-Hilo win would clinch the conference title and automatic NCAA Tournament berth for the Vulcans.

UH-Hilo’s Britni Rodriguez out-dueled the Yellowjackets’ Joey Ehnes (Sr., Great Falls, MT) in the first game, winning her tenth game in as many starts.  A solo home run by Meghan Jost in the top of the second and a Chelsea Osborne RBI double in the third produced all the runs the Vulcans would need.  The Jackets out hit the Vulcans 6-4 in the game, but Rodriguez was effective in keeping runners out of scoring position.  She struck out four and walked none in seven innings. 

Ehnes struck out four and yielded four hits without a walk.  The loss dropped her season record to 20-9.  Her next win will tie her own school record of 21 in a season.  Rachel Quarnburg (So., Billings, MT) was 2-for-3 at the plate.  Cami Rainey (Sr., Terreton, ID) was 1-for-3 with a double.

The Jackets jumped all over Rodriguez in the second game with the first six batters scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning.  MSUB added three in the second and three in the fourth before holding on for the one run win.  After trailing 9-3, the Vulcans rallied for six runs before being shutout in the seventh.

Jordan Waverek (Sr., Kalispell, MT) pitched 5 2/3 to earn the win for the Yellowjackets.  She gave up nine hits and all eight runs, although only one of them was earned as her defense committed five errors.  Waverek won for the second time in as many starts against the Vulcans to improve to 3-0 on the season.  UHH’s Rodriguez lost for the first time to fall to 10-1.  Ehnes pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to close out the game.  Her one strikeout gave her 599 for her career.

After being stymied in the first game, the Yellowjacket offense erupted in the evening match up.  They pounded out 14 hits, including four home runs, two doubles and a triple.  Ehnes went deep twice for her fourth and fifth homers of the season.  Rainey hit her fourth dinger of the year, and Christy Wankel (Jr., Great Falls, MT) hit her season’s fourth.  Rainey and Ehnes went back-to-back to lead off the Jackets’ half of the fourth inning.

Ehnes was an impossible out, going 4-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored.  She singled, doubled and homered twice.  Quarnburg and Theresa Campbell (Sr., Great Falls, MT) each went 2-for-3.  Campbell had a double, and Quarnburg scored a run and drove in a run.  Jenna Haacke (Fr., Billings, MT) was 2-for-4 with an RBI triple in the fourth inning that eventually turned out to be the game winning RBI.

The Vulcans’ Lisa Jackson was 3-for-5 with two RBI.  Natalie Fujimoto and Charity Senas each went 2-for-4.

MSU Billings finally has a day off on Tuesday before hosting Albertson College of Idaho in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday.  The Yellowjackets have played 20 games since March 24.  First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Cenex Stadium.