Missoula Clinches 5th Straight Playoff Appearance Saturday
Grand Slam From Fogel Highlights 11-2 PaddleHeads Win In Ogden
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
OGDEN, UT - The scenario for the Missoula PaddleHeads was simple going into Saturday's contest with the Ogden Raptors at Lindquist Field. A win for Missoula would punch their ticket to the Pioneer League postseason for the 5th consecutive season. After a challenging start to the week, Missoula was able to bounce back with a win Friday night to put themselves in this position Saturday. Behind a group effort from the offense, and a stellar starting pitching performance, the PaddleHeads would leave no doubt in what would be a night to remember.
Matthew Sox would set the tone for the PaddleHeads in the 1st inning striking out the side on 10 pitches to give Missoula momentum. Behind a 19 hit effort, the bats would do more than hold up their end of the bargain on the flipside. 7 batters in the PaddleHead order would finish with 2 hits or more. Adam Fogel, and Mike Rosario would do a lot of the heavy lifting knocking in 8 combined runs in the contest. This would all add up to an 11-2 win for Missoula to claim a berth in the Pioneer League postseason. The PaddleHeads join the Oakland Ballers as the 2 teams to qualify for the playoffs with their success in the 1st half of the regular season.
After a quiet first inning on both sides, the PaddleHeads bats got things rolling in the 2nd. A trio of singles would tell a big part of the story with Alec Sanchez driving home the first run of the night on a base hit through the right. Kamron Willman would also knock home a run with a sacrifice fly in the frame to make the lead 2-0. Sanchez would contribute throughout in a 2-3 performance. The PaddleHeads would then begin to pull away in the 4th.
An RBI single from Mike Rosario would start off a rally in the top of the 4th. Singles would play a big role throughout offensively for the PaddleHeads who tallied 16 of their 19 hits as singles. Rosario's base knock would also load the bases in the inning for Fogel. The reigning league MVP would change the trajectory of the game hitting a grand slam to left field to punctuate a 5-run rally to make the score 7-0. Fogel would finish 3-for-5 in the win with 4 RBIs. Sox then made sure Ogden would have no thoughts of a comeback.
The right hander would perform extremely well to play a pivotal role in the PaddleHeads claiming a playoff spot. The former Utah Ute would toss 6 ⅔ innings allowing just 2 runs while striking out 6. Sox would earn his 6th win of the 1st half as a result. The 3rd year professional ranks 2nd in the league in wins. Sox also holds the lowest ERA (3.77) of any PaddleHeads starting pitcher.
Rosario would add on to Missoula's advantage in the top of the 6th with an impressive home run that made the score 10-0. The long blast to right field would tower over the right field wall clearing a protective netting to strike a window of a building well beyond the right field wall. Rosario brought his RBI total to 4 in the game as a result in a 3-for-5 performance. In consecutive spots in the order, Rosario and Fogel would tally 6 hits combined in the win with 8 RBIs.
Leading by 9 in the bottom of the 9th, Zach Lampton would provide little drama in putting Missoula's victory in the book. The rookie would breeze through 3 Raptors batters in the frame to cue what would be a celebration on the field postgame in Ogden. The final out of the contest was fittingly secured by Missoula's franchise player in Willman who would make a routine throw to first on a ground ball. The PaddleHeads will now head into the final game of the 1st half knowing their playoff fate.
Playoff baseball will be heading to Missoula for the 5th consecutive season. This tradition of success is surely not something that is taken for granted as this special group will now be in search of its first league championship since 2021. A 2nd half of the regular season awaits this group and there will be challenges that come with that. But they will take them on knowing that they will have a chance to play for the league's biggest prize come September.
The PaddleHeads (32-15) will conclude their first half portion of the Pioneer League schedule on Sunday afternoon in a series finale with the Ogden Raptors (26-20). This will also be the final time these teams meet during the regular season. First pitch from Lindquist Field is set for 1:00 p.m. Catch the final game of this road trip on the air on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
