April 6, 2008          
                                                                  
Western Oregon Sweeps Yellowjackets 7-3, 9-1

     Game One
     Game Two 

BILLINGS, Mont. – Western Oregon swept a doubleheader from Montana State Billings Sunday afternoon at Pirtz Field, 7-3 and 9-1. With the losses, the Yellowjackets fall to 10-23 on the year and 2-14 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Western Oregon scored in the first inning for the third time in the series as Dylan Bruck singled to center and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. He scored on a failed pickoff attempt at first later in the inning for a 1-0 lead. The Wolves added another run in the second courtesy of a Yellowjacket miscue for a 2-0 advantage.

A two run home run by Tyler Mieras in the fourth gave the Wolves a 4-0 lead.

MSUB got on the board in the fifth on a leadoff double by Nick Harris who later scored on an error for a 4-1 score. MSUB looked as if it had the makings of a big inning with two on and nobody out. The Wolves got a big double play and a flyout to end the threat.

The Jackets continued to chip away at the deficit in the sixth scoring a run on a double by Jonathan Schlender, his second two-bagger of the day. Matt Schoonover led-off the inning with a double as well. Steve Larson then grounded out to second base, scoring Schlender from third for a 4-3 score.

WOU loaded the bases in the eighth with two outs as Bruck roped a double to left field scoring two runs for a 6-3 lead. Yellowjacket head coach Chris Brown made a call to the bullpen in favor of Cody Clark to replace Steve Scott. Clark got out of the inning with runners stranded at second and third. In the ninth Drew Humphrey singled to begin the inning and pinch-hitter Brad Verstegen singled in the run with the help of the Yellowjackets’ third error of the game.

MSUB put a man on in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to get anything across, falling 7-3.

Scott (3-4) takes the loss in the opener for the Yellowjackets. He went seven and two-thirds, allowed eight hits, six runs – four earned, three walks and two strikeouts. Cusick (3-3) earns the victory in five and a third innings of work, he allowed five hits, three runs – two earned, two walks and four strikeouts.

Offensively, the Jackets were led by Schlender who went 3 for 4 with two doubles, a RBI and a run scored. Mieras went 3 for 3 with three runs scored including a two run home run.

The Wolves scored two runs in the top of the second on a two run single by Cesar Lopez for a 2-0 score.

Nick Harris blasted a solo home run in the second, his second round-tripper of the year to pull the Yellowjackets to a 2-1 score.
WOU added another run in the third on a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead.

In the fifth, the Wolves exploded for six runs on four hits as the team batted around. There were two costly errors in the inning for the Yellowjackets that led to four unearned runs in the inning.

The Yellowjackets complete the homestand with a doubleheader against Mary Wednesday at 1 p.m.