Jacket Baseball Splits with Blue Tigers (3/28/06) 
Box Score 1
Box Score 2

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The Montana State-Billings baseball team split wins with Heartland Conference opponent Lincoln University Tuesday in Jefferson City, Missouri.  The Jackets were on a four-game roll through the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader winning 4-0 before the Blue Tigers came back to win the second game 6-2.  The Yellowjackets are now 6-20 overall and 4-13 in the Heartland Conference.  The Blue Tigers are 8-19 on their season and 5-13 in league play.

If it wasn’t for one Blue Tiger getting a hit in the bottom of the first, the Jackets’ Kyle McBride (Jr., Billings, MT) who pitched all seven innings was on his way to pitching a perfect game.  The Jackets defense played a key role in the win by not allowing the lone Lincoln hitter to advance past first base. McBride went on to strike out eight batters throughout the course of game one.  The game was on a fast pace as only three hits between both teams occurred through the fifth.  Then the Jackets went ballistic offensively and capitalized on Blue Tiger errors to score four runs off three hits in the top of the sixth to earn the win.

Nick Hoskyn (Jr., Oelwein, IA), Matt Kakalecik (Fr., Great Falls, MT), Kyle Pryor (Jr., Billings, MT), and Doug Longfellow (Jr., Lewistown, MT) each scored a run with Longfellow and Hoskyn driving in one RBI apiece.

“In the first game today we played as well as we have all year,” said Yellowjacket head coach Chris Brown.  “Everybody contributed and we took advantage when the opportunities arose.  We hit well when we needed to, made the right adjustments at the plate, and made every play defensively.  Kyle (McBride) had a great day, he was in total control and when we play like that its fun to watch.”

In game two the Blue Tigers struck first getting runs in the first, second and third innings before the Jackets’ Hoskyn reached home plate in the fifth on a Luke Sansaver (Jr., Wolf Point, MT) double down the left field line.  Lincoln answered back with three runs off four hits in the fifth giving the Blue Tigers the 6-1 advantage.  The Jackets tried to come from behind but could only come up with one run in the seventh.  In the game, the Jackets stranded runners on base every inning.

“In the second game, we were one or two hits away from scoring big and just didn’t get the hits when we needed them,” added Brown.  “That was the difference for us in the second game.  Kevin (Roberts) pitched well enough to win; we just didn’t come through for him in the clutch.  We had runners on base every inning but weren’t able to capitalize.”

Kevin Roberts (Jr., Terry, MT) took the loss for the Jackets pitching four and one-third innings.  Roberts gave up six runs off eight hits, striking out one.  Hoskyn went 4-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.  Sansaver had an RBI.

The Yellowjackets will wrap up their road trip against Lincoln University Wednesday in Jefferson City, Missouri.  The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. CST.  The Jackets will return to Cobb Field April 7 and 8 to host Heartland Conference opponent St. Edward’s University.