Early Inning Ambush Leads Ballers Past PaddleHeads
7-Run Rally Leads Oakland Past Missoula Tuesday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 1 |
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1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
MISSOULA, MT - The Missoula PaddleHeads welcomed in a brand new opponent to Allegiance Field on Tuesday evening in its first ever meeting with the Oakland Ballers. The matchup would be exciting on paper for more than just that reason as a pair of teams that were a part of the Pioneer League postseason in 2024 did battle. Both clubs also looked to continue recent runs of momentum as the teams came in with a 11-1 combined record in games played last week. Thanks to a quick start from the visitors, Oakland would have the advantage from the start.
The Ballers would put 10 hits on the board in the first 2 innings of play as the ball flew all over the field. A 7-run rally in the top of the 2nd would highlight this effort as the Ballers would build an early 9-run advantage. Missoula would battle back in the middle frames cutting the deficit down the 4. Thanks to solid work from the bullpen, the Ballers never would allow Missoula to get any closer. Oakland would also stretch out its advantage in the closing stages pulling away for a 16-7 victory.
The heart of the order for Oakland would do damage from the start getting things started in the 1st inning. Cleanup hitter and DH Cam Bufford would knock home the first run of the night with a double. One batter later, Christian Almanza would launch a towering home run to right center to knock home a pair of runs to extend the advantage to 3-0. The Saint Mary's product would also just be getting started. Bufford would finish with a team best 4 hits in a 4-for-6 performance with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
4 RBI singles would fan the flames of a 7-run rally in the top of the 2nd that saw Oakland take a 9-1 advantage. The biggest blow of the frame would also prove to be the last one as Almanza would hit his second home run in as many innings to bring home 3-more Baller runs. Almanza would finish the night 3-for-5 in his at-bats. Work from a Missoula reliever would then allow Missoula a chance to cut into the deficit.
The PaddleHeads would put 5 runs on the board from the 2nd through the 4th to cut Oakland's lead to 10-6. Colby Wilkerson would kick off a big night in the 2nd hitting a single up the middle to bring home a run in the 2nd. 2 sacrifice flies from Kamron Willman, and Adam Fogel in the 3rd inning also saw Missoula tack on runs. Carlos Perez would pick up an RBI on a ground out in the 4th as Missoula trimmed the lead. Perez and Wilkerson would both enjoy 3 hit nights as Wilkerson finished 3-for-4 and Perez would wrap things up 3-for-5.
Reece Fields would enter the game for Missoula in the 3rd inning and would pitch extremely well after the hot start from the Ballers attack. The 2nd year pro would not allow a run in 3 innings of work while striking out 6 batters. The PaddleHeads offense would go quiet however after their stretch of runs in the early inning. Oakland would eventually put the game out of reach in the late innings.
Catcher Dillon Tatum would launch a 2-run blast for the Ballers in the 7th to bring the Oakland advantage back to 6 at 12-6. Tatum would finish the night off 1-for-4 in his at-bats. The Ballers would also have one more rally in them to put the game on ice in the final frame.
6 Baller hits would drive home 4 more runs in the top of the 9th for Oakland as the Ballers matched their largest lead of the game in the final frame. Doubles from Buford, and Davis Drewek would do damage in the inning. Almanza would also do damage in the inning with a single to round out the scoring. When the dust settled, Oakland would walk off the diamond with a 21 hit effort. The Ballers also would have the advantage in game 1 of this 3 game series.
The PaddleHeads (13-6) will look for a quick rebuttal in this 3 game set with the Ballers (13-6) on Wednesday night in game 2 of this series. Bring your dog out to the ballpark for another 'Woof Wednesday' at Allegiance Field with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. If you cannot be a part of the fun, tune in to hear all the action on 102.9 F.M. ESPN Missoula.
