The Saint Martin’s baseball team lost three of four games at home against Montana State-Billings Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11.
After losing 13-1 in the first game and 7-1 in game two Friday, the Saints crawled back from a 3-1 deficit in game three Saturday, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off with a 4-3 victory, breaking an eight-game skid. Saint Martin’s couldn’t earn a series split in game four, falling 10-3.
In game one, MSUB erupted for five runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 9-0 advantage. Evan Nicol provided the lone RBI for the Saints in the eighth inning with a groundout.
Saint Martin’s took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning of game two, as Noah Albanese, who went 2 of 4 at the plate in the first game, led off with a single and later scored on an error. But the Yellow Jackets pulled in front with two runs in the second and put the hammer down with five runs in the fifth.
In the game three thriller, Saints starting pitcher Nikki Scott II pitched a scoreless first four innings before the Yellow Jackets tallied two runs in the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Bransyn Hong’s RBI groundout scored Albanese to trim the deficit to 2-1.
MSUB’s solo homer in the sixth gave the Yellow Jackets a 3-1 advantage. Two consecutive errors by MSUB with no one out saw the Saints move runners to first and second before Kyle Schabot drew a walk to load the bases. Alohi Arecchi tied the game with a two-run single, and Brendan Haverlock followed with a walk. On the ensuing at bat, Kelton Tom hit the ball into play, and the throw home was too late to catch Schabot, allowing the Saints to walk off with a 4-3 victory.
The Saints took the first punch in game four with an RBI single by Nicol, but, similarly to game two, the Yellow Jackets jumped on Saint Martin’s in the second inning with seven runs. Schabot and Hong added RBIs in the fifth but couldn’t catch up to MSUB.
Albanese shined in the four-game set, going 7 of 17 at the plate with two doubles and two stolen bases.
Saint Martin’s (10-29, 2-18 GNAC) will trek to Nampa, Idaho, this weekend for a four-game series against Northwest Nazarene beginning Friday, April 17. The Saints will return home for one final four-game series from April 30 to May 1 against Western Oregon.
