Freebirds Rally Late To Get Past PaddleHeads Saturday

Marysville, CA - The Yuba Sutter Freebirds and Missoula PaddleHeads were back at it Saturday night in game 2 of this 3 game set from Bryant Field. In game 1, Missoula took the lead early in a game they rarely trailed. Yuba-Sutter made sure game 2 had a different feel from the start, taking the lead themselves in the bottom of the 1st. The Freebirds offense used an extremely aggressive approach throughout on their way to a lot of success. Missoula combatted that effort behind a huge rally in the middle innings to take the lead. As things came down the stretch, Yuba-Sutter came up big when they needed to offensively to seal the win. 

After being held mainly quiet through the first 4 innings, the PaddleHeads offense came alive with a huge rally to take their first lead of the game in the 5th inning. The Freebirds answered quickly however to set up a tight finish in the late innings. Missoula was held off the board in the final 4 innings of the game leaving the door open for the home team. Yuba-Sutter took advantage in the 8th with a push offensively that ultimately was the difference in a 9-8 win to even the series. 

1st baseman Christian Castaneda got the Freebirds rolling quickly in the bottom of the 1st to set the tone. The 2nd year pro hit a line drive over the right field wall to bring home 3 in the inning as Yuba-Sutter took a 3-0 lead. The former Jackalope was solid throughout the game finishing 3-for-5 with 3 driven in. This told most of the story offensively for both teams before the PaddleHeads attack exploded.  

Trailing 4-1, Missoula's offense got going in a big way in the top of the 5th. 10 batters appeared in a huge rally. A single up the middle from right fielder Enzo Apodaca got things started making the score 4-2. It was another solid night at the plate for the first year PaddleHead finishing 2-for-4. After an RBI groundout from Tyler Stone in the frame, a defensive mistake proved to be disastrous. 

With 2-outs in the frame, Yuba-Sutter outfielders collided in right center field leading to an error. This allowed Apodaca to score the tying run in the inning. Xavier Casserilla fanned the flames soon after giving the PaddleHeads their first lead with a single up the middle to make the score 6-5. Later with the bases loaded, Jeremy Piatiewicz delivered the big blow with a double down the left field line that cleared the bases. When the dust settled, Missoula put up 7 runs in the top of the 5th making the score 8-4. Yuba Sutter pushed back quickly however to tighten things up once again. This also was the final time the PaddleHeads scored in the game. Casserilla was 2-for-5 in the loss and Piatiewicz was 1-for-2 with 3 RBIs and a pair of walks. 

Josh Duarte started what would be a 3-run rally in the bottom of the 5th to get Yuba-Sutter right back in the game. The left fielder finished 4-for-5 to pace the Freebirds attack. Edwin Pagini also contributed with an RBI single in the inning to make the score 8-7. This was where things would remain until the final 2 innings. 

Shortstop Devon Dixon wasted no time in the bottom of the 8th to make a splash. The former Voyager jumped on the very first pitch of the inning hitting a solo home run to left field to knot things up at 8 runs apiece. Duarte then came up big in the clutch with 2 outs hitting a go-ahead single to right to give Yuba-Sutter the lead back for good. The Freebirds had 18 hits in the game as a team en route to the game 2 win. Now both teams will have thoughts of a series win in the finale on Sunday evening. 

The PaddleHeads (3-2) will make their final appearance of the regular season at Bryant Field Sunday in the rubber match of this 3-game set with the Freebirds (2-3). First pitch from the Central Valley is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Follow along with the live broadcast on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.