PaddleHeads Tally 8 Unanswered Runs In Win Over Boise
Grand Slam From Frett Erases Deficit Late In Victory Thursday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
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2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
BOISE, ID- The Missoula PaddleHeads would get off to a slow start Thursday in a series finale with the Boise Hawks. After the Hawks controlled game 2 the night prior, Missoula would fall into a hole in the early innings at Memorial Stadium. Boise would tally runs in the first 2 innings to jump in the driver's seat. Ryan Wentz would settle in from that point on however, keeping the Hawks off the board leading up to the 7th and beyond. A rally in the top of the 7th would then give the PaddleHeads the lead for the first time.
The long ball would be a weapon for Missoula on the comeback trail. Roberto Pena, and Jeremy Piakiewicz would both hit home runs to trim into the Hawks lead. These 2 swings would bring the PaddleHeads within a run of the lead. Kishon Frett had been a big story in the opening 2 games of the series in his first games in a PaddleHeads uniform this season. A home run to punctuate the top of the 7th would also put Missoula in the lead for the stretch run of the contest. The PaddleHeads would not budge in the final 3 innings keeping the Hawks off the board. Missoula outscored Boise 8-0 after the second inning in an 8-4 victory to claim a series win on the road.
The Hawks would put 4 runs on the board in the first 2 innings to grab the lead in the early going. After a run scored on an error in the 1st inning, designated hitter Drew Woodcox would knock home a 2nd run double to make the score 2-0. More hits for extra bases would do damage in the next inning.
JC Santini would knock home a run with a triple to kick off another productive frame in the bottom of the 2nd to make the lead 3. The Hawks catcher would later score on an RBI groundout as Boise would lead by 4 heading to the top of the 3rd. Missoula's offense would stay quiet till the middle innings.
Pena would get the PaddleHeads on the board in the top of the 5th inning hitting his 29th home run of the season. The 2-run home run would give Missoula life in the process to cut the lead down to 4-2. Home runs would then would later do more than cut into the lead. Pena would finish the contest 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Piakiewicz would tally his 2nd home run in as many nights to kick off the top of the 7th. Missoula would then load the bases with 2-outs in the frame in a 1-run deficit to put the pressure on Boise. An intentional walk to Adam Fogel would do so in the inning bringing Frett to the plate in the huge situation. The right fielder would burn the Hawks in the scenario.
Frett would launch his 3rd home run of the series in the clutch at-bat, clobbering a slider over the left field wall. The line drive shot would travel over 450 feet before coming to rest. The grand slam gave the PaddleHeads a 3 run advantage at 7-4 in the process. Frett would finish 2-for-4 in the ballgame. Wentz would make sure Missoula had the chance to fight back with a fabulous effort in his time on the mound.
After allowing runs in the first 2 innings, Wentz would keep the Hawks off the board through the next 6 innings he took the mound making it through the 8th. The right hander would not allow a single hit after the 3rd inning and would retire 18 of the final 21 hitters he faced on the mound. The former Hawk would strike out 9 batters in the outing allowing just 2 earned runs. For his efforts, Wentz would earn his 5th win of the season.
Fogel would provide some insurance for Missoula in the top of the 9th hitting a double to the wall in right field to knock in a run with 2-outs in the inning. The left fielder would reach 4 times in the game finishing 1-for-2 with 3 walks and an RBI. Zach Lampton would then nail things down in the 9th.
The left-hander would keep the Hawks off the board for the 7th straight inning to ensure Missoula would win the series with Boise. Lampton would strand a pair of runners on the bases doing so in a scoreless bottom of the 9th. The PaddleHeads will now start to think about action at home to open the month of August.
Missoula (43-20) returns home on Friday night to square off with an in-state rival in the Glacier Range Riders (24-39). Glacier comes into this series with confidence having won their last 4 games overall entering the opening game of this 3-game series. This slate will also be the final meeting between these teams through the regular season. Postgame fireworks will also add to the excitement at Allegiance Field. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. If you cannot make it to the ballpark, listen live on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
