PaddleHeads Force Game 3 In 16-9 Win Over Chukars
9-Run 6th Inning Highlights Missoula Victory Over Idaho Falls
MISSOULA, MT- The Idaho Falls Chukars had the PaddleHeads on their heels early in Game 2 of this 1st Round Pioneer League Playoffs Series. After a Game 1 win, Idaho Falls led by as many as 5 runs in the first 5 innings at Allegiance Field. Seemingly all of the momentum was on the visitors side at this point with the Chukars looking to finish off this best of 3 series to advance to the Pioneer League Championship Series. Thanks to a run of offensive success, the PaddleHeads flipped the script quickly.
Missoula's offense got into a rhythm in the 5th and 6th innings after a relatively slow start. The PaddleHeads tallied 13 runs in those frames alone. Behind a huge rally in the bottom of the 6th inning, Missoula grabbed their first lead of the contest. Missoula never let the momentum slip from this point earning a 16-9 victory over Idaho Falls. The win Saturday forces a decisive Game 3 of this 1st Round Series on Sunday afternoon at Allegiance Field. The winner of this contest will move on to the Pioneer League Championship Series.
The Chukars grabbed the lead right out of the gates in the top of the 1st thanks to a clutch swing from Benjamin Rosenguard. The 3rd baseman found a gap in left center field with 2-outs in the inning driving home a pair with a double in the inning. Idaho Falls held the lead in the game over the first 5 innings of the contest. Rosenguard finished the contest 1-for-3.
1st baseman Trevor Rogers kept the momentum rolling for Idaho Falls in the top of the 3rd. A 2-run home run for the 2nd year professional did the trick giving the visitors a 4-1 advantage. The 2nd year professional also knocked in a run in the 5th with a sacrifice fly to expand the lead. Rogers finished 1-for-4 in the game.
The Chukars took their largest lead of the night in the top of the 5th with a double from Jacob Jablonski doing damage. With Rosenguard scoring on the play, Idaho Falls led 7-2. The winds began to shift after this sequence however with Missoula on the comeback trail.
A pair of home runs brought Missoula right back in the fight in the bottom of the 5th. Mike Rosario did the first damage hitting a laser over the right field fence to cut the deficit to 3. Adam Fogel followed suit a few batters later hitting a towering blast to center to cut the Chukar lead to 1. This proved to only be the beginning thinking about a massive rally that followed in the 6th. Fogel reached base 5 times in a 2-for-2 performance. Rosario drove in 4 runs himself in the win finishing 3-for-6.
A 9-run rally in the bottom of the 6th was fanned by an 8 hit barrage from the PaddleHeads offense. 4 RBI singles in the frame fanned the flames from Jeremy Piatkiewicz, Colby Wilkerson, Rosario, and Colin Gordon. 4 additional runs were brought home in the barrage on a pair of doubles from Alec Sanchez, and Carlos Perez. When it was all said and done, Missoula brought 13 batters to the dish. Missoula would also lead the ballgame 15-8.
This duo of Perez and Sanchez knocked in 4 runs combined in the win with Sanchez finishing 3-for-5 and Perez chipping in with a 3-for-4 effort. Perez has been one of the top performers offensively so far for Missoula in this series having recorded 6 hits combined in the first 2 games. This now sets up a winner take all Game 3 of this 1st Round Postseason Series.
A spot in the Pioneer League Championship Series will be on the line in Sunday's Game 3 from Allegiance Field. Idaho Falls, and Missoula will look to punch their ticket to the next round with a win joining the Oakland Ballers who advanced with a win Saturday over the Ogden Raptors. Action begins with a 2:05 p.m. first pitch on Sunday Afternoon at Allegiance Field. Experience the intensity of playoff baseball in person and get tickets at gopaddleheads.com. If you cannot make it to the field in person, follow every pitch on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
