Montana State-Billings (MSB) got off to a quick 1-0 lead with center fielder Luke Reinschmidt scoring a run on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. It started to look like that one run lead would be enough for MSB to pull out a win against the Wildcats. It was a defensive battle early in the game as both pitchers were throwing solid games. In the top of the sixth inning, MSB catcher Trevor Nix doubled to left field, bringing third baseman Colter Sternhagen home for a 2-0 lead.

After pitching the first 5 1/3 innings with 2 runs allowed, Central pitcher Zach Johnson was replaced by Travis Cook to try to slow down the Yellowjackets offense. MSB scored another run on a fly out with the bases loaded, but Central was able to escape any more damage with a nice double play to end the top of the sixth.

MSB held off Central’s attempts to get back in the game while adding several more security runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth to win the first part of the double header 14-6. Central Head Coach Desi Storey said that aggressiveness was the biggest problem in the first game.

“We had some guys that got on in game one, and they weren’t as aggressive on fastballs as we should’ve been… So we let some opportunities slip away offensively,” Storey said.

The second game started off similar to the first one, but with the Wildcats getting off to the early lead. Center fielder Austin Pernell drove in two runs in the second with a single into right field, followed by an RBI single by left fielder Cory Welch that made it 3-0 Wildcats. Pernell knew how important it was to get some runs scored early on.

“It was big because in the first game we started off a little slow, and in the second game we just came out hot as a team. That just sparked everybody, even the dugout was involved,” Pernell said.

Central got into a groove after the second, adding two more runs in the third, with one of the runs coming off of a home run bomb from second baseman Jeff Beckman. With the score 5-0 Wildcats, right fielder Darren Honeysett stepped up to the plate with two on and sent another ball deep to make it 8-0.

The Yellowjackets were able to rattle off four runs in the top of the fifth inning, but the Wildcats offensive onslaught couldn’t be stopped. Central catcher Zach Reay launched another two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to bring the score to 10-4. Soon after, Honeysett hit his second home run of the game, bringing Welch home with him and the score to 12-4. Honeysett felt good about having the hot bat, but acknowledged the team’s batting as a whole.

“Everybody had a hot bat, I just had two swings that went a little farther than everybody else’s,” Honeysett said.

The Wildcats added a run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 13-4, which would be the final, allowing them to earn a split in the double-header with MSB.