Friday, May 11, 2018
ELLENSBURG, Wash. – With his team’s back against the wall, Montana State Billings’ Michael Gahan threw a four-run complete game to lead the Yellowjackets to a 6-4 win over Western Oregon at the 2018 GNAC Baseball Championships.
The win kept Montana State Billings’ tournament hopes alive, as it gave Western Oregon its first loss to force the seventh and final game of the double-elimination tournament. Gahan finished the game allowing four runs, three earned, on 10 hits while striking out eight batters. The win saw him throw 142 pitches, 94 strikes, for his first complete game of the season.
Montana State Billings wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Hitting his third home run of the tournament, Ryan Myers tagged a moonball over the right-field fence to give MSUB an early 1-0 lead. The home run was Myers’ 26th of his Yellowjackets career, which is a school record.
With two runs already scored in the bottom of the second inning, the Yellowjackets looked primed for more as they had runners on second and third with no outs. Making his first appearance in the tournament, Western Oregon’s Gabe Benavides was able to escape the jam and inning with limited damage.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, it looked as if the Wolves were going to cruise to a quick half inning. It was anything but, however, as Benavides found himself in a bases-loaded jam with Myers at the plate. Already with a home run on the day, Myers was struck out to end the inning to keep the score at 4-1.
Down 4-2 in the top of the fifth, the Wolves saw Jared McDonald step to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. After batting back and forth, Gahan was able to manufacture a ground ball to get out of the inning with just one run allowed.
Myers was one of four Yellowjackets to finish the game with two hits while Kade Hall led the team with two RBIs. Benevidas finished the afternoon with five innings pitched, allowing two runs, none earned, on just three hits to go along six strikeouts.
The winner of the tournament finale will claim the 2018 GNAC championship. Western Oregon enters the game with a 26-21 record while Montana State Billings improves to 33-17.