PaddleHeads Erase 5-Run Deficit In 11-7 Victory Sunday
Missoula Scores 9 Unanswered Runs In Win Over Great Falls
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 1 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | X | 11 | 12 | 1 |
MISSOULA, MT - The Great Falls Voyagers would keep the Missoula PaddleHeads offense at bay for a large portion of Sunday's series finale at Allegiance Field. Missoula would manage to only tally 4 hits in the first 5 innings of the ballgame with starter Nick Marshall holding down the fort for Great Falls. The Voyagers would give him some run support as well in the 4th and 5th inning to lead by as many as 5 runs in the middle innings. The tides would then shift in a big way however in the bottom of the 6th.
The PaddleHeads would trim the Voyagers advantage to 1 run with a 4-run rally in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Missoula bullpen would also perform well down the stretch in 3 scoreless innings. Another push of offense in the bottom of the 8th would then send the PaddleHeads in front as a flurry of offense down the stretch would put the Voyagers in a hole in a blink of an eye. Mike Rosario would lead the way throughout for the PaddleHeads attack in what was another outstanding effort in this series. Outscoring Great Falls 9-0 down the stretch, Missoula would also walk off the diamond with an 11-7 win Sunday over the Voyagers.
Rosario would waste little time kicking himself into gear offensively to draw first blood in the bottom of the 1st. The Right fielder would jump on the first pitch he saw, hitting a long home run to right center field to give the PaddleHeads an early advantage. Runs would be hard to come by for a portion of time after this sequence however as Missoula would not tally another run until the 5th inning. This would allow Great Falls a chance to build a lead.
The Voyagers put together a 4-run rally in the top of the 4th to take the lead for the first time. AJ Fritz would bring Great Falls to the lead initially in the inning hitting a 2-run home run to make the score 2-1. Kody Putnam, and Devon Dixon would follow with success in the inning with a double, and single to drive in a pair more runs to give the Voyagers a 4-1 cushion. Dixon, and Putnam would both finish 2-for-5 in the ballgame.
Fritz gave the Voyagers their largest lead of the game in the top of the 6th inning, lacing a double to left center field to bring the advantage to 7-2. The 2-way player had a big day at the plate for Great Falls finishing 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs in the ballgame. The PaddleHeads would climb back soon after this sequence however with a pair of big rallies down the stretch.
Nich Klemp would kick off a 4-run push in the bottom of the 6th hitting a lead off home run to trim the lead to 4 runs. Kamron Willman would then strike with an RBI double soon after. The 3rd baseman would also race home in the inning on a past ball. At the end of the frame, Missoula would only trail by a run going toward the final 3 innings of regulation. The PaddleHeads bullpen would not budge down the stretch to keep the pressure on the Voyagers.
Noah Owen, Andrew Armstrong, and Zac Lampton would hold the Great Falls offense in check collectively in the final 3 innings of the ballgame. The trio would only allow 2 hits in those innings while striking out 5 batters combined in 3 scoreless frames. The PaddleHeads offense would then complete the comeback in the bottom of the 8th.
Leyton Barry would come through as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th tying the game at 7 with a single to left field to kickstart a 5-run rally. Colby Wilkerson would bring the PaddleHeads back in front one batter later on a single to right field to make the score 8-7. Rosario, and Gordon would keep this hot stretch alive in the 2 at-bats that followed with a double and single. These at-bats would bring home 3 combined runs to give the PaddleHeads a 4-run lead. This stretch would prove to be the knockout blow in a win Sunday.
Rosario was instrumental to Missoula's success Sunday finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and 3 RBIs. It brought a phenomenal week to an end as well for the 2nd year PaddleHead who tallied 3 hits or more in 3 games in this series. Rosario tallied at least 1 hit in every game as well this week opposite the Voyagers. The PaddleHeads will now shift their attention to the road for an upcoming series in the Flathead Valley.
After an off day Monday, The PaddleHeads (37-17) open a 6-game series on the road Tuesday night opposite the Glacier Range Riders (19-35). This will be Missoula's first trip to the Kallispell region this season after playing in 9 games at home in the 1st half against Glacier. First pitch from Glacier Bank Park is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
