Blue Tigers Sweep Jackets (4/15/06)
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Game Photo's

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings baseball team dropped both ends of Saturday's Heartland Conference doubleheader against Lincoln University.  The Jackets fell in game one 14-7, and 4-0 in the second game.  The losses drop the Jackets to 10-28 overall and 8-20 in the conference.  The Blue Tigers now hold sole possession of fourth in the Heartland with a 10-18 record.  The Tigers are 16-24 on the season.

“We let the domino effect take the toll on us today,” said Yellowjacket head coach Chris Brown.  “We were flat and when a few things went wrong, we let a lot of things go wrong.  We left too many batters on base even though we hit well."

The Yellowjacket pitching staff was once again the Achilles heel of the team.  Lincoln University hit three home runs in the first inning.  The Blue Tigers’ Derek Nordquist hit a 405 yard home run in his first at bat to get the scoring barrage started.  In the next at bat Trevor Kay knocked the ball over the left field fence giving the Tigers the 2-0 lead.  Before the inning concluded Nordquist would hit his second home run of the inning, earning three RBI and the 8-0 lead.

The Jackets were able to stop the bleeding in the second inning holding Lincoln to just one run.  In the bottom of the second Kyle Slater (Jr., Missoula, MT), Jake Samuelson (Jr., Helena, MT), and Kyle Pryor (Jr., Billings, MT) drove in an RBI apiece, earning three runs.  The Jackets made a huge triple play in the top of the third getting runners out at second, third, and home in a mass confusion of runners.  In the fourth inning, the Jackets attempted a comeback scoring four runs, bringing them within five on runs scored by Matt Kakalecik (Fr., Great Falls, MT), Doug Longfellow (Jr., Lewistown, MT), Luke Sansaver (Jr., Wolf Point, MT), and Pryor.  Lincoln salted away game one in the seventh on Kay’s second home run of the game, a two-RBI shot.

Bobby Livingston (2-1) pitched for the Blue Tiger win allowing no Yellowjacket runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief.  The Tigers offensive was led by Nordquist who went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI and two home runs.  Kay matched Nordquist with two home runs, two runs and four RBI. 

The Jackets’ David Ducharme (Sr., Hamilton, MT) took the loss and is 2-6 on the season.  Ducharme gave up ten runs off ten hits, striking out two.  Slater led the Jackets in hitting going 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI.

Perhaps stunned by the fortunes of game one, the Jackets were unable to get the offense started in the second game.  Lincoln’s Justin Ortmeyer drove in an RBI in the first inning and followed it up with a home run in the third inning for two more RBI and the 3-0 lead.  Although the Jackets left fewer runners stranded, the offensive opportunities did not carry themselves to home plate.  Lincoln sealed the doubleheader sweep in the fourth with a triple by Daniel Struemph that he later scored on.

The Tigers’ Ortmeyer led all batters going 2-for-3 with one run, three RBI and one home run.  Levi Corwin (3-1) took the win pitching a five-hit shutout, striking out six.

The Jackets were led by Samuelson who went 2-for-3.  Brady Slack (So., Riverton, WY) had one stolen base.  Ben Lewerke (Jr., Mason City, IA) took the loss for the Jackets allowing four runs off nine hits.

“We did not play our best ball in game two and came out flat,” added Brown.  "My hat’s off to the Blue Tigers pitcher.  He just out played us.  When we had an opportunity to score runs, we didn’t get the big hit and defensively we made a few errors that didn’t help our cause.  Kevin (Roberts) and Ben (Lewerke) pitched a decent game; we just didn’t commit at the plate. We would like to get back on track and get our pitchers some work on the mound and our batters practice at the plate to ready ourselves for the four-game series against St. Mary’s.”

The Yellowjackets continue their home stand Tuesday, April 18 against Miles City Community College.  The nine-inning exhibition game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Cobb Field.