Lewerke’s One-Hitter Gives Jackets Split (2/22/07)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Ben Lewerke tossed a one-hit shutout against St. Mary’s University on Thursday afternoon to earn his second win in as many starts.  The Yellowjackets bounced back from getting pounded in both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader to split with the league-leading Rattlers.  St. Mary’s took the first game 5-2; MSU Billings spotted Lewerke three early runs in the second game for a 3-0 win.

After playing defending league champion Incarnate Word tough in all four games to start the week, the Yellowjackets were outscored by a combined 32-2 on Wednesday by the Rattlers.  The Jackets responded to that wakeup call with two solid games Thursday.

In the opening game, the Jackets led 2-0 after three and a half innings.  Doug Longfellow (Lewistown, MT) scored in the top of the first when Willie Crtalic (Billings, MT) reached on an error.  MSUB added a run in the top of the fourth when Jordan Shine (Great Falls, MT) led off the inning with a triple and was plated two batters later by a Josh Wiley (Belgrade, MT) sacrifice fly.

The Rattlers crawled back into the game with three runs in the bottom half of the fourth, and opened a three-run lead with two more runs in the fifth.  The Yellowjackets managed just one base runner of the final three innings.

Jeremy Knowles (Three Forks, MT) took the loss after scattering eight hits over six innings.  Only two of the five runs he allowed were earned with four Yellowjacket errors contributing to the other three runs.  Knowles dropped to 0-2 on the season.  Shine was 2-for-3 with a run scored.  Crtalic and Nick Hoskyn (Oelwein, IA) each had a stolen base.

The Rattlers’ Zach Kucera (1-1) earned the win, giving up five hits and one earned run in seven innings.  Michael Pawelek was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs, and a home run.

The second game belonged to Lewerke (Mason City, IA).  He cruised through seven innings, allowing just a second inning single by Pawelek.  Lewerke walked three and struck out one without allowing a runner past second base.  In two starts totaling 13 innings, Lewerke has a 0.69 ERA.

The Yellowjacket offense gave Lewerke all the cushion he needed in the first two innings.  Shine singled to right field in the top of the first to score Longfellow.  In the top of the second, Kyle Slater (Missoula, MT) led off with a walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch.  Two batters later, Matt Schoonover (Great Falls, MT) scored when Longfellow reached on an error.

Schoonover was 2-for-2, his two singles accounting for half the Yellowjackets’ hits in the game.  Pryor and Shine also singled.  Tommy Vrzal (1-1) took the loss for the Rattlers, allowing four hits and one earned run in 6 1/3 innings.

The Yellowjackets wrapped up their season-opening road trip with a 3-7 mark with a single win each against Incarnate Word, Texas A&M-International, and St. Mary’s.  They return to Texas for a 12-game swing starting March 1 at St. Edward’s University in Austin.