Jackets Drop Fifth Straight (4/20/07)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Game Photos
 

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings baseball team dropped both ends of a Heartland Conference doubleheader to St. Mary’s University Friday at Cobb Field.  In a defensive battle, the Jackets came up short dropping the first game 5-3 and the second game 5-2.  The Yellowjackets fall to 19-21 overall and 11-15 in the conference while the Rattlers battle for first place in the league improving to 28-14 overall and 20-9 in conference play.

The Rattlers started the game hitting three singles in a row to score Michael Brzezinski and Ray Camacho.  With two outs Jonathan Cisneros scored an unearned run to jump out to the quick 3-0 lead.  Cisneros’s run would turn out to be the game-winning run for the Rattlers.

The Jackets got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning as Nick Hoskyn (Oelwein, IA) singled up the middle and was advanced to second after Seth Moir (Cody, WY) reached on a walk.  Willie Crtalic (Billings, MT) drilled his team-leading eleventh double of the season for the one-run RBI plating Hoskyn before the inning ended.

The Rattlers added two more runs in the fifth with the Yellowjackets scoring one in the seventh.  With one out, Kyle Pryor (Billings, MT) singled to right field and advanced to second on Matt Schoonover’s (Great Falls, MT) base hit.  Hoskyn was walked placing runners on all bases.  Moir reached on a fielder’s choice plating Pryor.  The Yellowjackets left two runners on base in the seventh to end the game.

Moir and Crtalic each had an RBI with Hoskyn and Pryor scoring runs for the Jackets.  Kyle McBride (Billings, MT) took the loss for the Jackets to fall to 2-4.  McBride allowed five runs off eight hits in six innings, while striking out four.  As a team, the Yellowjackets stranded nine runners.

Danny Cantu went 2-for-4 with two RBIs with his teammate Cisneros going 2-for-2 scoring two runs and one RBI.  Zach Kucera earned the win to improve to 7-3.  Kucera allowed two runs, both earned, off eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.  He struck out five batters and walked six in the effort.

Under the lights at Cobb, both the Rattlers and Yellowjackets remained scoreless in game two through four innings.  The Rattlers broke the scoreless tie in the fifth scoring three runs.  Davila was walked to open the inning and advanced to third on Daniel Soto’s bunt and a Yellowjacket error.  Ryan Femath hit a one-run RBI to plate Davila.  Brzezinski’s fly out to right field scored Soto and advanced Femath to second.  Camacho’s base hit through the right side plated Femath before the Yellowjackets ended the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth the Jackets’ Crtalic reached on a single to left field and advanced to second when teammate Jordan Shine (Great Falls, MT) was walked.  Both Crtalic and Shine moved ahead one base on a Rattlers’ wild pitch with Crtalic scoring on a St. Mary’s balk.  Jake Samuelson (Helena, MT) grounded out to second plating Shine to bring the Yellowjackets within one run of the Rattlers.

Both the Jackets and Rattlers added a run in the sixth but a Rattler run and a blanked Yellowjacket offense in the seventh gave the Rattlers the two-game sweep of MSU Billings.

Crtalic and Shine each scored a run for the Yellowjackets with Moir and Samuelson earning one RBI apiece.  Brian Strom (Littleton, CO) took the loss to fall to 4-4.  Strom allowed three runs off six hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Femath led the Rattlers going 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.  Soto, Davila, and Ricky Gonzalez also scored runs for St. Mary’s.  Tommy Vrzal improved to 7-1 in earning the win.  Vrzal allowed three runs and scattered two hits in five innings on the mound.

The Yellowjackets and Rattlers will meet for a Heartland Conference doubleheader Saturday at Cobb Field.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.