4-Run Rally Leads Grand Junction Past Missoula
Jackalopes Bounce Back With 7-5 Win Over PaddleHeads
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 0 |
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2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
MISSOULA, MT- After a convincing game 1 victory, the Missoula PaddleHeads grabbed the lead in the early going in game 2 opposite the Grand Junction Jackalopes. The PaddleHeads led from stem to stern Tuesday night in a game that seemingly was never in doubt. Thanks to an aggressive Jackalope attack, Wednesday's contest would play out much differently.
Grand Junction tallied runs in 3 of the first 4 innings to erase an early deficit. A 2-out rally in the top of the 3rd was the highlight of this stretch as it put the Jackalopes in the lead for the first time in the contest. The PaddleHeads attack only tallied a pair of runs collectively to rebut this effort in the 5th and 6th innings. Despite the bullpen holding Grand Junction off the board for the final 5 innings, the Jackalopes were able to hold the line down the stretch in a 7-5 game 2 win.
Mike Rosario got the PaddleHeads off to a quick start in the bottom of the 1st inning. The right fielder knocked in a pair with a line drive home run to left field to give Missoula a 2-0 advantage. The Jackalopes quickly landed a counter punch to this effort in the next half inning. Rosario finished 2-for-5 in his at-bats.
A pair of home runs in the top of the 2nd quickly put Grand Junction right back in the fight. Calyn Halverson, and Kendall Foster both hit solo home runs in the frame to deadlock the score at 2 runs apiece. Foster had a 2-for-4 performance at the plate with Halverson reaching twice, finishing 1-for-1. Roberto Pena made sure the game would not remain tied for long.
The 1st baseman knocked in Leyton Barry with a double to right center in the bottom of the 2nd inning to give the PaddleHeads the lead back at 3-2. Pena tallied 3 hits from the top of the order finishing 3-for-5 in his at-bats. A key push with 2-outs then turned the tide in Grand Junction's favor for good.
A 4-run 2-out rally turned momentum to the Jackalopes in the top of the 3rd inning. 3 swings in the inning proved to tell the story. Even Scavatto did the first damage with a double to right field to knot things up. Coffman followed suit in the frame with a 2-bagger of his own to left center to vault the Jackalopes in front. Christian Casteneda then put on the finishing touches with yet another extra base hit to knock in a pair. This made the score 6-3. Despite only scoring once the rest of the way, it would prove to be enough with the bullpen shutting things down in the late innings.
Taylor Smith tried to give the PaddleHeads some life for the stretch run in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Catcher hit a line drive shot over the left field wall in his at-bat in the frame to cut the Jackalopes advantage to 2. Smith finished 2-for-4 in hits at-bats. The Missoula bullpen then kept the PaddleHeads within striking distance.
Reece Fields held the Grand Junction attack to just 1 hit over his 4 innings of work out of the bullpen to keep Missoula close down the stretch. The 2nd year PaddleHead struck out a pair in the outing allowing only 2 base runners in relief. Noah Owen then pitched a spotless top of the 9th striking out the side to send things to the bottom half. Grand Junction's pen managed to hold serve on that front.
Alec Rodriguez, Jacob McCaskey, and Reece Miller held Missoula off the board in the final 3 ⅓ innings of the contest to ensure their club would find the win column Wednesday. Miller earned his 16th save of the season for his efforts in the bottom of the 9th allowing just one man to reach the bases. This result sets up a rubber match of this 3-game series in the final PaddleHeads home game of the regular season Thursday night.
Missoula (60-26) will look to end their regular season home slate on a high in the series finale with the Jackalopes (37-49) on Thursday evening. It will be Fan Appreciation Night at Allegiance Field with special giveaways to add to the fun at the ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Catch the action in person or listen live on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
