Central Washington Blasts Jackets (4/11/06)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Game Photo's

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings and Central Washington baseball teams met at Cobb Field for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday.  By the time the dust had settled, the scoreboard looked more like a football game had been played than a baseball game.  Neither pitching staff was very effective as the Wildcats swept the twin bill, 17-12 and 11-9.

“It’s pretty simple,” said Yellowjacket head coach Chris Brown of Tuesday’s performance.  “We didn’t pitch and we didn’t play defense.  Of the three phases of the game, offense was the only thing we did well.  It’s not often that you just do one of the three and get a way with it.  We made mental errors, and we made physical errors.  We didn’t make anything good happen on defense or on the mound.”

The losses dropped the Yellowjackets to 9-25 on the season while Central Washington improved to 13-15.  MSU Billings, which used nine different pitchers on the day, will next play on Friday and Saturday in two important Heartland Conference doubleheaders.  The Jackets host Lincoln University both days with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. each day.  The games are important for the first-year Yellowjackets, who enter the week tied with Lincoln for fourth place in the conference.

Tuesday’s first game, which ran almost three and a half hours, was essentially batting practice for both teams.  The two sides combined for 29 runs, 33 hits, and 10 errors.  The Yellowjackets scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings, including a five-run seventh.  The Wildcats used three big innings to pull away for the victory, scoring four in the third, four in the fourth, and six in the eighth.

The Wildcats’ Justin Marshall and Camron Iverson drove in four RBI apiece.  Iverson made six plate appearances and missed hitting for the cycle by a triple.  Central’s Craig Marshall, the Wildcats’ fourth pitcher of the game, earned the win to improve to 1-2.  He tossed the final 2 2/3 innings of the game, limiting the Jackets to just one hit while striking out five.

The Yellowjackets' Jon Clark (Jr., Anaconda, MT) took the loss, giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings.  He was the fourth of five Yellowjacket pitchers to appear in the game.  Kyle Pryor (Jr., Billings, MT) and Luke Sansaver (Jr., Wolf Point, MT) each collected three hits including a double apiece for MSU Billings.  Seven different Yellowjackets had multiple-hit games.  Mike Wardell (So., Billings, MT) and Matt Kakalecik (Fr., Great Falls, MT) each drove in a pair of RBI.

In the afternoon game, Central Washington broke away from a 2-2 tie with seven runs in the top of the fourth inning.  The Jackets’ Brandon Laffoon (So., Libby, MT) allowed all seven runs while retiring two Wildcats in the inning.

On Tuesday, no lead was safe.  The Yellowjackets responded with six runs in the bottom half of the fourth to pull within a run a 9-8.  Central added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh for an 11-8 lead.  The Yellowjackets scratched an unearned run across in the bottom half of the inning, but stranded the tying run on second base.

The Wildcats’ Isaac Finch (2-2) earned the win in relief, giving up four hits and an unearned run in three complete innings.  Leadoff hitter Jamie Nilsen was 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.  Justin Marshall and Mike Carrigan each had two hits for the Wildcats and combined for five RBI.  Carrigan and Chris Sepanski each homered.

Laffoon took the loss for the Jackets, falling to 0-1.  Nick Hoskyn (Jr., Oelwein, IA) drove in four runs and went 2-for-5 at the plate.  Sansaver was 2-for-2, and Mike Cease (Fr., Deer Lodge, MT) was 3-for-4.  Cease and Willie Crtalic (Jr., Billings, MT) each scored a pair of runs.

“On a positive note we had a great approach at the plate,” added Brown.  “I can’t count the number of quality at bats we had.  When you score 21 runs, that should be two wins.  That’s the capability we have offensively.  We have a lot of guys that can put the ball in play and who can steal bases.  We just have to put it all together.”