MONMOUTH, Ore. --- The Western Oregon baseball team jumped out to an 8-0 lead after its half of the third, Montana State Billings rallied with five runs to make it a game again before the Wolves bullpen shut the Yellowjackets down and WOU scored three insurance runs in the ninth to win 11-5 Thursday at WOU Baseball Field.

The GNAC first-place Wolves (22-12 overall, 15-8 GNAC), who was the visitor since the game was a makeup for a contest in Billings, scored a run in the first on a Curran Mitzel sacrifice fly, two more in the second on a Collin Irwin sac fly and a Levi Cummings RBI single and five in the third highlighted by a two-run single by Jacob Maiben to take an 8-0 lead heading to the bottom of the third.

MSUB (20-21, 11-12) scored a run in the third and four more in the fourth to cut the WOU lead to 8-5.

But the Wolves bullpen shut the door on the Yellowjackets as Sebasten Boivin (2.1 innings, one hit, no runs, two strikeouts - and was awarded the win), Ryan Shipley (two innings, no hits, no runs, three strikeouts) and Devin Bell (one inning, one hit, no runs, one strikeout) combined to toss a final 5.1 scoreless innings to preserve the win.

WOU scored three insurance runs (AJ Cortese RBI double and sac flies from Justyn Herzog and Cedric Gatter) to make the final 11-5.

Jacob Maiben finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run, Derek Maiben went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Mitzel was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI and Cortese was 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI.

The two teams continue their series 1 p.m. Friday with a doubleheader at WOU Baseball Field.