NAMPA, Idaho — Two big innings were the catalyst to Montana State Billings beating Point Loma (Calif.) 15-7 on Thursday to claim the first victory at the NCAA Division II West Region tournament in program history.
Trailing 3-0, the Yellowjackets erupted for seven runs in the fifth. The inning began with Ryan Jeffrey and Ryker Fortier earning walks, and Fortier later scored on a sacrifice fly by Parker Bleggi to get MSUB on the board.
A single by Bodee Wright scored Kaden Bertram, and then an error on a batted ball by Zack Blaszak brought Jarret Elmer home. Jack Nehler then delivered an RBI single, and Blaszak later scored on a balk as the Jackets took a 5-3 lead.
Kaden Kirshenbaum came through with an RBI double, and he later scored on a single by Jeffrey as MSUB batted around the order to grab a 7-3 lead.
Point Loma closed the gap in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run by Noah Meffert. But the Jackets put up seven more in the eight to blow the game open.
The ‘Jackets add seven more in the top of the eighth to take a 14-5 lead❗️#msubsports | #msubbaseball pic.twitter.com/Aw3dcqmhku
— MSUB Baseball (@MSUBBaseball) May 15, 2025
A two-run double by Wright and a two-run single by Fortier helped MSUB extend its lead.
Jeffrey scored on a wild pitch earlier in the frame, and Nehler also drove in a run with a single as the Yellowjackets went ahead 14-5. Nehler added an RBI double in the top half of the ninth.
MSUB collected 14 hits and drew eight walks. Wright and Nehler each had three hits and three RBIs. Wright scored three times. Yellowjackets lefthander Jackson Betancourt allwed five earned runs in seven innings to pick up the victory.
The Jackets (33-20) face top-seeded Northwest Nazarene at 2 p.m. Friday, followed by a rematch with Point Loma at 6.
The Yellowjackets are making their second regional tournament appearance in program history and their first since 2019. They were an at-large selection to the tournament after losing to Northwest Nazarene in the GNAC championship game on May 9.
