Montana State Billings Falls Short in GNAC Baseball Championship
ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The Montana State Billings Yellowjackets’ quest for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball tournament title came to an end on Friday as they were defeated 8-7 by the top-seeded Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in a winner-take-all final.
The Yellowjackets (32-20) faced an early deficit, falling behind 6-0 by the third inning. The team began to rally with key RBI hits from Bodee Wright and Jack Nehler, but the pivotal moment came in the fifth inning when Kaden Kirshenbaum launched a three-run home run, narrowing the score to 7-6.
Northwest Nazarene (40-13) responded with an insurance run in the eighth inning thanks to Cole Calnon’s RBI triple, which turned out to be critical as MSUB fought back. In a tense bottom of the ninth, Zach Blaszak bunted in a run, bringing the Yellowjackets to within one run at 8-7, but they could not complete the comeback.
With this win, Northwest Nazarene secured its second consecutive GNAC tournament championship and earned a spot in the NCAA West Regional set to begin next Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the Yellowjackets advanced to the championship game by defeating Central Washington 7-4 in an elimination matchup. Highlights from that game included home runs from Ryker Fortier and Kaden Bertram, along with a complete game performance from pitcher Brennen Chappell, who struck out six batters without issuing a walk.
Ranked No. 5 in the latest West Region rankings, Montana State Billings now awaits their postseason fate, with the NCAA Division II selection show set to air at 8:30 p.m., determining the six teams that will qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
