ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Montana State Billings' push for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship fell short Friday.
After advancing earlier in the day, the No. 2-seeded Yellowjackets rallied but ultimately lost 8-7 to top-seeded Northwest Nazarene in the winner-take-all title game.
MSUB (32-20) found itself trailing 6-0 in third inning but began to chip away with RBI base hits by Bodee Wright and Jack Nehler. Yet the big damage was done by Kaden Kirshenbaum, whose three-run home run to left field in the fifth pulled the Jackets within 7-6.
The Nighthawks (40-13) added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI triple by Cole Calnon, which proved crucial. Zach Blaszak bunted in a run in the bottom of the ninth to bring MSUB within 8-7, but that was as close as the Yellowjackets got.
It is Northwest Nazarene's second consecutive GNAC tournament title. The Nighthawks earned a bid to the NCAA West Regional, which next Thursday.
The Jackets advanced to the championship game with a 7-4 victory against Central Washington in an elimination contest earlier Friday. Ryker Fortier and Kaden Bertram each homered for MSUB while Brennen Chappell pitched a complete game, allowing four earned runs with six strikeouts and no walks.
Ranked No. 5 in the latest West Region rankings, MSUB now awaits its postseason fate. The NCAA Division II selection show will air at 8:30 p.m. with the top six teams in the region earning a spot in the NCAA tournament.
