BILLINGS, Mont. – Conner Holbrook came through with his second walkoff base hit in his last three games to cap off a doubleheader sweep over Western Oregon Friday at Dehler Park that propelled the Montana State University Billings baseball team into first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.
 
Stepping to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Holbrook lined a single into the gap in right-center field to plate Corey Morris from second base and send the Yellowjackets into a wild celebration between first and second base.
 
Holbrook, who was the hero with a walkoff single in Game 4 of MSUB's 3-1 series win over Central Washington last weekend, helped push the Yellowjackets' winning streak to four games. With a record of 14-7 in GNAC play, the 'Jackets surpassed Western Oregon which fell to 16-9 in conference action with the losses.
 
"The day had been going rough for me so far," Holbrook said. "I figured I would see a pitch to hit and I wasn't going to miss it that time. Sure enough I saw one and coach has been preaching to stay middle so I stuck with that and it worked out."
 
The Yellowjackets (19-18 overall) benefitted from seven costly errors throughout the day by Western Oregon, while playing a clean game defensively without a mishap. WOU (21-21 overall) had five errors in the first game alone, as only three of the eight runs the Yellowjackets scored were earned.
 
"It's an unusual series with five games and that really puts a premium on those starters," said MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. "Jake has been throwing five to six innings, but he just competed his tail off today. I am really proud of him. It was great to see both him and Brady battle for their team."
 
Technically taking over in relief in the suspended first game, Brady Muller threw all seven innings and struck out seven while allowing five runs on eight hits. Jake Campeau, who pitched Game 2 for MSUB, originally was slated to be the starter but the game was suspended due to weather before the top of the first inning was over in Monmouth, Ore.
 
Campeau followed Muller's strong outing with eight stellar innings in Game 2, striking out seven while walking two and allowing three runs on eight hits. "Jake was on," Holbrook said. "He was living low and all of his stuff was moving. It's the Jake I am familiar with, and when he's on, he's on. He did really well today."
 
Campeau was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day, as his 108 pitches over eight innings were crucial in the win and saving MSUB's bullpen for the three games yet to be played in the series.
 
"I had all three of my pitches working really well," Campeau said. "The slider was working really well and I was able to keep it down. My whole strategy on the mound is to get the ball in play and let my defense play behind me, and they did a great job at that again today."
 
The 'Jackets out hit WOU 19-17 on Day 1, but left a costly 22 runners on base while WOU stranded just 14.
 
Game 1 – MSU Billings 8, Western Oregon 5
 
In what was originally scheduled to be the 7-inning series finale in Monmouth on March 14, MSUB capitalized on a golden opportunity and plated two more runs in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead.
 
Western Oregon brought the score to within one with single runs in the second and third, but an RBI groundout by Luke Reinschmidt and another run which scored on an error made it a 5-2 ballgame in favor of MSUB through the top of the fourth.
 
Brandon Shaffer and Matt Taylor each had RBIs in a two-run fourth inning for the Wolves, before WOU starter Brady Miller and Muller each retired the side in order in the fifth inning.
 
Playing the game as the visiting team, the 'Jackets scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning thanks to a dropped fly ball in right field, an RBI-single by Kyle Durbin and a sacrifice fly by Kevin Toon.
 
The 8-4 lead was enough of a cushion for Muller, who gave up one more run in the sixth before retiring the Wolves in order in the seventh to close the door and earn the win.
 
Trevor Nix was the lone Yellowjacket with multiple hits in Game 1, as he finished 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Reinschmidt finished with a pair of RBIs to push his GNAC-leading total to 48 on the season, and Brody Miller finished with a pair of walks and a run scored.
 
Shaffer finished 2-for-3 for WOU, and Brandon Oliver was the other Wolf with multiple hits in Game 1 with a line of 2-for-4.
 
Game 2 – MSU Billings 5, Western Oregon 4
 
With three hits already in the game, Morris saved his most important for last as he blasted a double into right field and put the game-winning run into scoring position with one out in the ninth. Holbrook did not waste the opportunity, as he lined his first hit of the game into right center and pushed the 'Jackets to victory.
 
MSUB, which did not trail once during the doubleheader, jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a big two-run single by Casey Merritt in the bottom of the second inning. Merritt worked the count to 2-2 before hitting a sharp ground ball through the right side on the eighth pitch of the at bat to score Morris and Toon.
 
The Wolves picked up a run in the fourth on a key two-out double by Cody Sullivan, and after Nathan Etheridge advanced to second on a wild pitch he was able to score on the play.
 
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the inning, Miller, the reigning National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association West Region Player of the Week, hit a deep fly ball onto the warning track in right center field that scored Morris and made it a 3-1 ballgame.
 
The lone mistake Campeau made on the mound came in the top of the sixth inning, when Taylor hit a long home run over the fence in right field to tie the score at 3-3.
 
The 'Jackets responded promptly however, as Miller again put the ball in play to create a run. The senior hit a sharp grounder up the middle that was knocked down by reliever Sean Domke, but the right-hander's easy toss over to first soared over the head of the 6-foot-5 Etheridge and MSUB sneaked across an unearned run.
 
Representing the last chance for the Wolves in the top of the ninth, ninth-place batter Jacob Whisler lifted a sacrifice fly into center field off of MSUB reliever Adam Cox that evened the score at 4-4.
 
The Yellowjackets avoided what would have been their 10th trip of the season to extra innings when Holbrook sent the home team into a celebration with the game-winning hit. "Both Conner and Casey are the unsung heroes at the bottom of the order for us," Bishop said of the duo who produced three of MSUB's five runs in Game 2. "You can't rely on the same one or two guys all the time, and to have those two pick us up big is just huge for our team and our confidence."
 
Morris finished Game 2 with four hits and three runs scored, and he played outstanding defense at shortstop with two putouts, six assists and a double play turned.
 
WOU starter and reigning GNAC Pitcher of the Week Darrien Moran threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
 
THE BUZZ: WOU now leads the season series 3-2 with three games left to play…Northwest Nazarene was swept in a doubleheader by Central Washington, making the Crusaders' record 11-11 in conference play and giving MSUB further breathing room atop the standings…the regular season champion earns hosting privileges for the 2015 GNAC Championships, which are scheduled for May 7-8…Western Oregon has won 13 consecutive regular season titles and has hosted both of the GNAC Championship tournaments, which began in the 2013 season…the Wolves used eight total pitchers on Day 1 of the big five-game series, while MSUB needed just three including only one inning in relief.
 
"Right now we are just focused on Game 1 tomorrow, taking it one game at a time," Holbrook said. "That is something that Coach Bishop keeps reminding us about, and we don't want to get our vision too far into the future."
 
UP NEXT: The series resumes Saturday with two 7-inning games on tap between the teams. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Dehler Park. The finale kicks off at 11 a.m. on Sunday with a single 9-inning contest.