LACEY, Wash. – Pitching all season has been the strength for the Saints, and entering a series with the best hitting team in Montana State Billings, it was an old-fashion pitching vs. batting series.
 
Aaron Shoup and Tanner Inouye combined for 21 strikeouts and only four runs allowed. Despite another strong outing from the two aces, the Yellowjackets managed to outduel the Saints and sweep the opening doubleheader 2-0 and 5-4. On the day, Saint Martin's combined to strike out 27 Yellowjackets, which was the most since 2017 in back-to-back games, and the most in a single day in school history.
 
The first game pitted two of the best pitchers in the GNAC against each other in Shoup for the Saints and Steed Fredrickson for the Yellowjackets. The two aces battled through jams and dominated hitters.  Over the course of 15.2 combined innings, Shoup and Fredrickson struck out 11 batters each.
 
It was not until the eighth inning on a sac fly did one of the pitchers finally break. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Jalen Garcia's sac fly proved to be the difference maker. The Yellowjackets managed to add an insurance run in the ninth before Brooks Zimmer came in for the three out save, his fifth of the year.
 
Saint Martin's had opportunities to score, including runners in scoring positions in the first and eighth inning. However, despite the chances, the Yellowjackets always found a way to escape the inning with no damage.
 
The second game was nearly a mirror reflection of the first, as the two starters, Inouye and Dylan Barkley silenced opposing bats. The two combined for 16 strike outs, with Inouye setting a career-high with 10.
 
The Saints struck first in the fourth inning when Ryne Oshiro singled through the right side, bringing home Micah McNicoll. Later in the inning, an error by the Yellowjackets cost them a run as Oshiro scored on the fielding error.
 
Inouye was nearly unhittable through the first six innings, allowing only three hits and striking out all 10. However, in the seventh, the Yellowjackets were able to load the bases with only one out. Ryan Dorney was called on to get the save, but the senior came up short for the first time all year. MSUB scored four runs, three of which on back-to-back singles, to take their first lead of the game.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, SMU opened the inning with a hit by pitch, single, and another hit by pitch to load the bags. Pinch-hitter Colton Peha drew the walk to cut the score to 4-3 for Austin Feist. Feist lifted a ball to left center, deep enough for the tying run to score. However, back-to-back punch outs stranded the game-winning run in scoring position.
 
In the eighth, Montana State Billings continued to hit Dorney, collecting two singles to open up the inning. A sac bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out. With a full count to the next batter, Dorney's ball four missed wildly in the dirt, getting away from the catcher, and scored the eventual game-winning run. The Saints went down swinging in order in the bottom of the eighth to seal the 5-4 loss.
 
The Yellowjackets and the Saints will conclude the four-game series tomorrow at noon. Live stats and video of the games will be available on smusaints.com.