Jackets Split Series with Cards (4/28/07)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Game Photos

BILLINGS, MT – A timely double by the Yellowjackets’ Seth Moir in the sixth inning lifted Montana State-Billings to a 9-8 win in game one over the visiting University of the Incarnate Word Saturday at Cobb Field.  The Cardinals came back in the late game to tie the score at five apiece in the fifth before adding two insurance runs in the sixth to pick up the 8-5 victory. 

The Yellowjackets remain just under .500 at 22-24 overall and 14-18 in conference play.  The Cardinals are now 30-21 and 19-17 in the league.  The Yellowjackets will host league-leader St. Edward’s University (38-10, 26-6) on May 7 and 8 for the team’s final four-game series of the season.  Monday’s doubleheader is slated for 2:00 p.m. with Tuesday’s first pitch at 1:00 p.m.

Will Crtalic (Billings, MT) drove a long single to left field to score Nick Hoskyn (Olwein, IA) and Matt Schoonover (Great Falls, MT) in the bottom of the first.  Jake Samuelson (Helena, MT) was hit by a pitch for the RBI plating Seth Moir (Cody, WY) to put the Jackets up by three to open the first inning.

The Cards answered back in the second with Chris Alfieri and Chris Solis scoring on Drew Hamilton’s triple to right field.  Hamilton was later driven in by Gideon Williams single before the Jackets ended the inning on a double play.

In a dog fight till the end, Incarnate Word added four runs in the sixth as designated hitter Jason Miori blasted a grand slam 20 feet over the left field fence to take the temporary 8-5 lead.  Needing a big inning, the Yellowjackets answered the call in the bottom of the sixth.  Kyle Pryor (Billings, MT) scored off Hoskyn’s single to left field before Moir drilled his ninth double of the season to plate both Hoskyn and Schoonover.  Moir scored the Yellowjackets’ winning run off Crtalic’s single up the middle.  The scoring barrage ended on Pat Smith’s (Flagstaff, AZ) fly out to left field.

All Yellowjacket fans held their breath following two quick Cardinal outs in the top of the seventh as Jackets’ pitcher Cody Clark (Billings, MT) walked big-hitter Drew Hamilton.  Hamilton advanced to third on Williams’s single, but the Jackets would win going away on Thomas Salas’s fly out to center field.

Hoskyn went 2-for-4 in the game, scoring two runs and one RBI.  Moir was 1-for-4 scoring two runs and two RBIs off his double.  Crtalic went 3-for-4 with one run and a team-leading three RBIs.  Clark picked up the win allowing two hits and two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of work.

Loren Lauver took the loss for the Cards giving up nine runs, all earned, off 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings on the mound.  Lauver walked two and struck out four in the effort.  Miori went 2-for-4 with one run and four RBIs to lead the Cardinals’ offense.

Riding the high of game one, the Yellowjackets exploded with four runs to open the late game taking the 4-1 lead.  Consistency at the plate proved positive as the entire line up had an at-bat in the inning.  With two runs already on the board, Samuelson hit a deep double to the center field wall to score both Crtalic and Moir for two RBIs before the Cards put an end to the Jackets’ scoring tirade.

The Yellowjackets added one more run in the second after Pryor was walked to open the inning.  Stealing his 16^th base of the season, Pryor reached second and then scored on Schoonover’s single up the middle.

In the third, fourth, and fifth innings, Schoonover earned the Jackets’ only hit as the Cardinals chipped away at the Yellowjackets’ lead.  Incarnate Word scored two runs in three of the next four innings to go ahead 8-5.  In a last ditch effort, the Jackets were forced to leave three runners stranded in the sixth and settle for the split with Incarnate Word.

Schoonover and Samuelson each drove in two RBIs with Schoonover going a perfect 3-for-3 in the game.  Pryor went 1-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base.  Brian Strom (Billings, MT) dropped to 4-5 in taking the loss for the Jackets.  Strom allowed six runs off five hits in 4 1/3 innings. 

Chris Pacheco went 2-for-5 for the Cardinals, scoring one run and two RBIs.  Jeff Langston earned the win allowing just one run of three hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.  Langston walked three and struck out two in the effort.