Rattlers Sweep Series with Jackets (3/3/06)
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Box Score 2

SAN ANTONIO, TX – St. Mary’s University took two from the Montana State-Billings baseball team on Friday, sweeping the Heartland Conference series against the Yellowjackets.  With the win the Rattlers improved to 9-4 overall and 4-0 in the conference.  The Yellowjackets dropped to 0-8, 0-4.  St. Mary’s also swept two games from the Jackets on Thursday.

MSU Billings played one of its best games of the season in the day’s early game, giving up a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to lose 2-1.  The Jackets got on the board in the top of the first when Willie Crtalic (Jr., Billings, MT) drove in leadoff hitter Mike Wardell (So., Billings, MT).  The Rattlers tied the game in the bottom of the fourth before scoring the winning run in the bottom of the final inning.

Nate Herbig (Jr., Noxon, MT) went the distance for the Jackets, giving up two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.  The Rattlers’ Caleb Staudt earned the win, pitching seven innings and allowing three hits.  Staudt struck out eight.

St. Mary’s jumped on Yellowjacket pitching early in the second game, pounding out a dozen hits to win 12-1.  The Jackets’ David Ducharme (Sr., Hamilton, MT) took the loss after allowing five runs in 1 2/3 innings.  The Rattlers scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, three in the second, and four in the fourth.  The Jackets’ only run came in the top of the second when Kyle Pryor (Jr., Billings, MT) drove in Matt Kakalecik (Fr., Great Falls, MT).  The Rattlers’ John Alvarez was 2-for-3 with two runs, a home run, and six RBI.

The Yellowjackets will be idle until next Tuesday when they play at Incarnate Word.  MSU Billings will play doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday at UIW.