PaddleHeads Turn Away Late Push In 8-6 Win
Frett Homers Twice In Missoula Debut Tuesday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 1 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
BOISE, ID- The Missoula PaddleHeads continued its 9-game road trip on Tuesday night making its first appearance at Memorial Stadium this season in a contest with the Boise Hawks. Kash Beauchamp's club entered this 3-game series with Missoula boasting some of the strongest offensive numbers in the league. The Hawks entered the week with a .345 team batting average which ranks 2nd in the Pioneer League. Former Hawk, and league pitcher of the Year Mike Peterson would take the ball looking for success against his former club. The right-hander would surely look comfortable in his time on the mound. A chaotic sequence after his exit however would make things very interesting down the stretch.
Peterson would not allow a run through his first 3 innings of work and would pitch effectively throughout his outing. Gabriel Pecheco would keep things quiet on the Hawks side of the equation through the first 5 innings of the contest. This would see the game tied at one heading to the 6th. A rally in the top of the frame would see Missoula grab a lead heading to the final 3 innings of play. Boise would punch back in a very unlikely way in the bottom of the 7th which turned the game on a dime tying the game at 6 apiece. A late home run from Missoula's newest signee would be the difference in the end however as the PaddleHeads escaped with an 8-6 victory.
Missoula would scrape a run across in the top of the 1st when Roberto Pena came home to score on a wild pitch to make the score 1-0. This would tell the story for the Missoula offense leading up to the 6th as Pacheco would keep things quiet till then. Boise would just need one swing to level the playing field.
Jake Hjelle would do his first bit of damage for the Hawks offense in the bottom of the 4th. The left fielder would hit a solo home run over the left field wall to knot things up with Missoula at 1 run apiece. The former Fargo Red Hawk would come through later in a clutch situation to once again knot things up.
After Pacheco held Missoula quiet through 5 innings, the PaddleHeads offense would figure things out against the right hander putting together a push of success in the 6th. Leyton Berry would give Missoula the lead back, scoring on a wild pitch kicking off what would be a 4-run rally in the frame. Kamron Willman would then make the score 3-1 on a single to left field. A newly acquired PaddleHead would then deliver the biggest swing.
Rookie outfielder Kishon Frett made his PaddleHeads debut Tuesday after being acquired in a trade from the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League on Monday. The Florida International product surely would make an impact in his debut, kicking off a big night at the plate in the 6th inning, hitting a 2-run blast to give the PaddleHeads a 4-run advantage. Frett would flex his muscles later on.
Colin Gordon would give the PaddleHeads their largest lead of the night in the top of the 7th hitting a home run off the left field scoreboard to give Missoula a 6-1 lead. An unlikely sequence after the departure of the Missoula starter would ensure this lead would not last. Gordon enjoyed a great night at the plate in the ballgame finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Peterson would turn in one of his best outings of the season in his return to Boise allowing just 1 run in 6 ⅔ innings of work. The Washington native would strike out 6 in those frames while not issuing a single walk in the outing. The right hander would walk off the mound with 2-outs recorded in the bottom of the 7th.
The final batter Peterson faced would reach base on a lazy fly ball that would find the outfield grass when it was lost in the left field lights by the PaddleHeads defense. This sequence would prove to signal trouble for the Missoula bullpen.
The Hawks would set up a 2-out rally in the 7th after an error and a pair of hit by pitches would load the bases in the frame. A run also scored in this sequence to trim the lead to 4. After a bases loaded walk, Hjelle would clear the bases with a 3-run double into right center to knot things up at 6 runs apiece. Hjelle would finish the night 2-for-5 with 4 driven in with his late swing setting up a tight finish.
This wild 2-out sequence would not come to a close in the bottom of the 7th before 9 consecutive base runners would reach base with 2-outs recorded. Missoula would use 3 pitchers in the inning before finally recording the final out. Despite seeing this drastic momentum shift, Missoula would have an answer thanks to its newest member.
Frett would bring Missoula back to the lead in the top of the 8th inning with his 2nd home run of the ballgame. The right fielder would launch a 2-run blast to right field to give the PaddleHeads an 8-6 lead in the stretch run of the ballgame. Frett would finish 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs in his debut with Missoula. This swing would also prove to be the difference in the game.
Pablo Garabitos, and Zac Lampton would bring calm to the waters after the wacky 7th inning pitching a pair of scoreless frames to bring the game to a close. Garabitos would pitch around a walk in the 8th inning in a scoreless frame of work. The left-hander would induce a double play in the frame to avoid trouble. Lampton would then take the ball in the bottom of the 9th.
The southpaw would look to get back on the horse in the outing with a 2-run advantage after seeing a save situation get away in his last outing on Sunday at Glacier Bank Park. Lampton would surely have a nice bounce back outing earning his 4th save of the season in a spotless 9th inning to bring Missoula to the win column. The rookie would strike out a pair in the frame and would not allow a single baserunner. This allowed the PaddleHeads to grab early momentum in this series with the Hawks.
Missoula (42-19) will look to clinch a series win in game 2 of this 3 game slate on Wednesday night with the Hawks (35-26). The victory Tuesday also ensured that the PaddleHeads will finish with a record above .500 on this 9-game road trip. First pitch of game 2 of this series from Memorial Stadium is set for 7:05 p.m.
