Great Falls Strikes Back With Knockout Win Wednesday
Voyagers Tie Game in 9th to Send Game to Knockout in Win
Missoula, MT- For the second consecutive night, action between the Missoula PaddleHeads, and the Great Falls Voyagers would come down to the wire on Wednesday evening. After a knockout decided the winner Tuesday, this would also be the reality Wednesday as both teams came up with clutch swings down the swing to ensure the score world remained deadlocked. The one stark contrast between the 2 games would be the end result however as Great Falls would find a way to even the series.
Michael Deeb of the Voyagers would launch a home run with just one out remaining in round one of the Knockout to put the pressure on Jayson Newman. The league leader in home runs would threaten a few times in the round, but would fail to hit a ball over the wall allowing the Voyagers to escape with a victory to even the series.
Great Falls would snag the early lead in the first inning thanks to Riley Jepson's 2-run double in the first. This would prove to be just the beginning for the British Columbia native who would be heard from again in the late innings. Missoula's offense would also get things rolling after the Voyagers led early to grab the lead themselves.
After the PaddleHeads tied the game on a triple from Lamar Sparks in the third inning, Missoula would snag their largest lead of the night in the next half inning with a 5-run rally. Home runs from Patrick Chung, and Sparks would do most of the damage as 4 runs would score on those two swings. After the dust settled, Missoula would lead 7-2. For the second consecutive night however, the Voyagers would battle back from a sizable deficit to set up a tight battle down the stretch. Sparks would finish 2-for-6 and Chung was 2-for-4.
Trailing by 3 in the 6th, Collin Runge would bring the Voyagers level with one swing with a 3-run blast to knot things up at 7-7 runs apiece. This would set up a battle down the stretch in the final 3 innings. Both teams would see players come through with clutch swings in the final 2 frames adding to the drama of the situation.
With 2-outs recorded in the bottom of the eighth, Keaton Greenwalt would send a 2-strike pitch over the wall in left center field to give the PaddleHeads a one run advantage leading into the top of the ninth. Jepson would not allow Great Falls to go down without a fight in the next half inning to counter the clutch swing. Greenwalt finished the action 2-for-5.
Jepson wasted no time delivering a counterpunch in his leadoff at bat in the ninth inning sending a ball over 420 feet in center field which tied the game at 8. This swing proved to be the difference as the Voyagers would grind out the win in the knockout that followed. Jepson has recorded 7 RBIs in the first 2 games of the series and finished 2-for-5 on Wednesday.
The PaddleHeads (43-18) will look to end the home slate on a high note in action opposite the Voyagers (35-26) in the finale from Allegiance Field at Ogren Park on Thursday evening. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. Hear the call on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
