Baseball Weekly Report

Feb. 11, 2015 Contact: Nathan Webber (503)305-8756/[email protected] Rare Feats: No-Hitter, Triple-play in GNAC’s Opening Week PORTLAND, Ore. – What a week it was. After three of the first five opening day series were rained out, Western Oregon beat a team by 17 runs, Montana State Billings went on SportsCenter and Central Washington’s Brandon Williams threw the fourth no-hitter in GNAC history. Picking up right where he left off last season, the former GNAC Pitcher of the Year threw seven scoreless innings fanning 13 of the 22 batters he faced for the first no-hitter in the GNAC since 2010. He was perfect through five and two-thirds innings before a throwing error and a hit batter ended the perfect-game threat. The Wildcats went on to win 9-0 in the game and swept the four-game series against Saint Martin’s after their trip to San Francisco State was cancelled due to weather. The Montana State Billings baseball team didn’t have its best road trip starting the 2015 season, taking only one of the four games against Colorado State Pueblo. The Yellowjackets did however make some amazing plays. After digging themselves into a three-run hole in the final inning of the second game, the Yellowjackets Brody Miller launched a three-run home run into right center to tie the game. MSUB came back an inning later to win on a sac fly. The next day the Yellowjackets turned a rare triple play against the Thunderwolves. In the sixth inning, MSUB shortstop Kyle Durbin caught a line drive from the batter, stepped on second and threw to first for the triple play. It’s the third of its kind in GNAC history and the first since April 16 in 2011 when CWU accomplished the feat against a Division I team in Seattle. ESPN took notice as the play made SportsCenters “Top 10” that night, coming in as the ninth best play in the country. Around the GNAC, WOU didn’t start the season off the way it hoped either, losing seven of its first eight. In the Wolves lone win however they demolished Point Loma 17-0. Northwest Nazarene also took two in the impromptu Treasure Valley Icebreaker tournament it hosted after its Cal State East Bay trip was rained out. Standings and Schedule GNAC Team Central Washington Northwest Nazarene MSU Billings Saint Martin’s Western Oregon W 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 Overall W 4 2 1 1 1 L 0 2 3 5 7 S W4 L1 L2 L4 L1 UPCOMING GAMES THURSDAY, FEB. 12 Northwest Nazarene at Hawaii Pacific, 6 p.m. FRIDAY, FEB. 13 Central Washington at Sonoma State (DH), 11 a.m./2 p.m. Western Oregon at CSU Monterey Bay, 2 p.m. Saint Martin’s at College of Idaho, 2 p.m. Northwest Nazarene at Hawaii Pacific (DH), 4 p.m./7 p.m. SATURDAY, FEB. 14 Western Oregon at CSU Monterey Bay (DH), 11 a.m./2 p.m. Central Washington at Sonoma State (DH), 11 a.m./2 p.m. Saint Martin’s at College of Idaho (DH), 12 p.m./3 p.m. Northwest Nazarene at Hawaii Pacific, 1 p.m. SUNDAY, FEB. 15 Saint Martin’s at College of Idaho, 11 a.m. Western Oregon at CSU Monterey Bay, 11 a.m. MONDAY, FEB. 16 Azusa Pacific at Montana State Billings (DH), 1 p.m./4 p.m. TUESDAY, FEB. 17 Azusa Pacific at Montana State Billings, 11 a.m. Around the GNAC  Already the GNAC’s career home run king, Chandler Tracy added two more long balls to start the season, taking an early lead for the conference home run title in 2015. To date, Tracy has 33 career home runs, 21 more than any other active player in the conference.  Williams was selected as the GNAC Pitcher of the Week after his no-hitter while Northwest Nazarene’s Kyle Thomson was the Player of the Week after his seven-run, five-RBI performance. GNACsports.com | @GNACsports | #GNACbaseball