Jackets Unravel, Drop Two (4/29/06)
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Box Score 2

BILLINGS, MT – After coming off a big win in Friday’s late game, the Montana State-Billings baseball team dropped both ends of Saturday’s Heartland Conference doubleheader against St. Mary’s University.  The Jackets stumbled early in game one and were unable to regain control allowing the Rattlers to cruise to the 15-0 win.  In the late game, the Jackets looked to be heading toward the “W”, but a fifth inning meltdown allowed St. Mary’s to score 12 runs and the eventual 13-4 win.  The Yellowjackets fall to 14-32 overall and 12-24 in the Heartland Conference.  St. Mary’s improved to 33-16, and 25-11 in league play.

The Jackets walked three batters in the first inning alone and a wild pitch placed runners on all three bases.  A single by Cory Jacobi brought in Ryan Femath and Ray Camacho, getting the Rattlers on the scoreboard.  Two outs later, Jason Anderson hit a double bringing in an additional two RBI.  The Yellowjackets had just two hits in the game coming from Mike Wardell (So., Billings, MT) in the fourth inning, and Mike Cease (Fr., Deer Lodge, MT) in the bottom of the seventh.  Only one Jacket made it to third base and was unable to capitalize as the Jackets struck out to end the inning.  St. Mary’s used a huge sixth inning to ice the game, scoring five runs.

Camacho went 3-for-3 with two runs for the Rattlers while his teammate Anderson went 3-for-4 with two runs, six RBI and a home run.  Caleb Staudt (8-1) pitched to the win scattering just two hits over seven innings of work.  David Ducharme (Sr., Hamilton, MT) took the loss for the Jackets allowing six runs off four hits in one and a third innings.  Wardell and Cease both went 1-for-1 at the plate.

The Yellowjackets got out to a positive start in the late game with Kyle Pryor (Jr., Billings, MT) walking to first and advancing to second on an error by St. Mary’s.  Luke Sansaver (Jr., Wolf Point, MT) also reached on the error.  Both Pryor and Sansaver stole their base and Willie Crtalic’s (Jr., Billings, MT) ground out brought in Pryor for the RBI.  Wardell singled to right field and advanced to second on the Rattlers' second error of the inning to score Sansaver.  Wardell then scored as Hoskyn singled to center field.  The inning ended on a double play with the Jackets leading 3-1.  St. Mary’s tied the game at three apiece in the third inning.  The Jackets returned the favor in the fourth with Kyle Slater (Jr., Missoula, MT) scoring on an error.

The fifth inning proved to be the undoing for the Yellowjackets.  Five batters were walked in a row and eight of nine Rattler batters went to the plate twice in the same inning.  In addition, all nine batters scored at least one run, and three Rattlers scored twice in the inning.  Cody Pyle hit his sixth home run of the season, knocking in four RBI on a grand slam over the left field fence.  The Jackets went through three pitching changes in the inning to finally end St. Mary’s tirade on a fly out to center field.

Brandon Lippe (6-2) pitched the complete game shut out allowing four runs off five hits, striking out five.  Jason Davila went 4-for-5 with one run and three RBI.  Pyle went 2-for-5 with two runs, one homerun, with four of his six RBI coming from his grand slam.

The Jackets’ Jon Clark (Jr., Anaconda, MT) took the loss giving up seven runs off one hit in just a third of an inning.  Wardell went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.  Doug Longfellow (Jr., Lewistown, MT), Pryor, Sansaver, and Cease each stole a base in the late game.

The Yellowjackets wrap up the season with a doubleheader against Heartland Conference leader University of the Incarnate Word (32-17, 26-8 HLC) May 5-6 at Cobb Field.  Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.