MONMOUTH, Ore. – Following several rain delays that took a start time from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Western Oregon University baseball team battled Montana State Billings in the only game of the day on Thursday with the Yellowjackets coming away with the 5-2 win in the first game of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships held at the WOU Baseball Field.
In a day that had three games scheduled, with heavy rain in the forecast throughout, there was only time to get one in. That now adjusts the schedule to two games on Friday and the possibility of two games if needed on Saturday. Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene will open day two tomorrow (Friday) beginning at 9:30 a.m. NNU will then turn around and play Western Oregon at 12:30 p.m. to complete day two. If one team ends up being 2-0 entering Saturday, then that team will have a chance to clinch in the first game on Saturday. If all three teams are 1-1, then Montana State Billings and Western Oregon will play first on Saturday, before the winner would then play Northwest Nazarene.
Arturo Alvarez and Dylan Barkley matched up with WOU (31-18) breaking through first in the opening inning. With one out, Justyn Herzog singled and then moved to third on a single to right-center by Derek Maiben. Logan Ho brought the run in with a sharp single to right-center on a hit-and-run for the early 1-0 lead.
Montana State Billings (26-25) took the lead in the third. An error started the inning and loomed large later in the frame. Two singles followed to bring in the tying run. A sacrifice fly and then a two-out RBI single closed the inning with the Yellowjackets taking a 3-1 lead with all of their runs being unearned.
The Wolves answered right back in the home half. With two outs, Ho worked a full-count walk. Jackson Holstad reached on a fielding error to put runners at first and second. John Stark, down 0-2 in the count, delivered with a single through the left side to score Ho to trim the deficit to one.
Following a pair of scoreless innings, MSUB added a run in the sixth getting a two out single for the 4-2 lead.
A solo home run by Carson Green moved the 'Jackets lead out to 5-2 in the seventh. WOU threatened in the home half of the inning, with Herzog and Ho each walking before a flyout retired the side.
Stark drew a walk in the eighth, but that was it for WOU in the inning. Down to their last at-bat in the ninth, Jacob Maiben walked and then a baserunning play off of an error changed the inning. Herzog hit a grounder to second that turned into an error, but on the play, MSUB was able to get the runner trying to get back to second for the first out. The second out followed and then Ho walked for the third time to bring the tying run to the plate. Connor Redmond was able to get a groundout to first to end the game with MSUB taking the 5-2 victory.
WOU held the 6-5 edge in hits and there were three errors in the game, two committed by MSUB. Herzog and Derek Maiben led the Wolves with two-hit games, while Ho and Stark added RBI hits. On the mound, Alvarez went the first 5.1 innings to end up with the loss (7-1) despite allowing just one earned run (four runs total) while adding four strikeouts. Sebasten Boivin went the next inning allowing one earned run with three strikeouts. Chris Hardin finished off the seventh getting the final two outs before Bryce Bond worked two scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
Green led MSUB with two hits and two RBI. Barkley went the first seven innings to get the win (6-4) allowing two runs (one earned). Redmond went the final two innings to get his first save of the season in his first relief appearance tallying three strikeouts with three walks.
WOU will now play Northwest Nazarene tomorrow (Friday) starting around 12:30 p.m. Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings will open the day with the first game at 9:30 a.m.
