Balanced Attack Leads PaddleHeads To 4th Straight Win
Missoula Pulls Away In Late Innings In 11-6 Win Over Ogden
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
Ogden, UT - The Missoula PaddleHeads played under the lights of Lindquist Field for the final time this season in game 5 of a 6-game set with the Ogden Raptors. Saturday's game felt a bit different from recent ones, with the Raptors jumping to the lead first. Ogden was also in the fight in the late innings trailing by only a slight margin entering the stretch run. Missoula's offense came up big in this high leverage situation however, putting the game on ice coming down the stretch.
The PaddleHeads scored 5 runs in the final 3 innings to give themselves breathing room. Ogden only managed to tally 1 coming down the stretch allowing Missoula to salt things away once again. The PaddleHeads scored 10 runs or more in their 4th straight game en route to another 11-6 win over the Raptors. Missoula has won each of its last 4 games in this series in Ogden tallying 66 runs total in that span.
The Raptors jumped out to a lead early in the bottom of the 1st striking with 2-outs. First baseman Gio Ferraro came through in the situation knocking in a pair of runs on a double to right center to give Ogden a 2-0 advantage. Starter Brendan Beard then settled in however, tossing 3 scoreless innings after this sequence. The offense would also get going in the innings that followed.
The PaddleHeads jumped to the lead in the top of the 5th behind a 5-run rally. Second Baseman Ty Yukumoto got things rolling in the inning hitting a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to tie the game. Nich Klemp then gave Missoula their first lead on a single up the middle. Center Fielder Bradley Pelle also misplayed the ball in the outfield allowing the ball to roll past him toward the track. This allowed 2 more runs to score. Klemp finished the night 2-for-4.
Enzo Apodaca did the final damage in the 6th bringing home the 5th run of the frame with a single through the right making the score 6-1. The Right fielder finished 2-for-6 on the night. The Raptors had fight in them however on this night clawing back into the game in the 5th.
Ogden trimmed Missoula's advantage to just 1 in the bottom of the 5th behind a 3-run rally. Catcher Hank Dodson got the ball rolling with a solo home run to left field to make the score 6-2. Pelle then cut the PaddleHeads advantage to 1 in a 2-out at-bat with a single up the middle making the score 6-5. Despite being challenged in the game, the PaddleHeads did not budge.
Missoula brought home a pair of runs in a unique way in the top of the 7th. Mike Koszewski sent a ball toward the right center field gap with a pair runners on the bases. An acrobatic catch was made in the situation. However, both Jeremy Piakiewicz, and Will Bermudez were still able to tag up and score in the same scenario giving the PaddleHeads an 8-5 lead. Missoula stretched it out further an inning later.
Piakiewicz kept the offense rolling in the top of the 8th with a single down the left field line to bring home a pair as part of a 3-run rally. Bermudez added a third run in the inning scoring on a balk to give Missoula an 11-6 lead. Piakiewicz knocked in 2 runs and scored twice finishing 2-for-4 in his at-bats.
The PaddleHeads pen then salted things away coming to the finish line in the final 3 innings. Mark Timmins, Matthew Taubensee, and Dylan Cheely did not allow a run in that span allowing just a pair of hits. This victory also marked a career milestone for PaddleHeads Manager Michael Schlact.
The former PBL Manager of the Year claimed his 400th career regular season win as a manager in professional baseball with Missoula's triumph Saturday. The PaddleHeads have won over 60 games in each of the last 5 seasons reaching the Pioneer League Playoffs each year. His squad will now look to finish this road trip with a ton of momentum entering the series finale Sunday.
The PaddleHeads (7-4) will play in their first matinee game of the season on Sunday afternoon in this final game of the series with the Raptors (3-8). Missoula will also look for its 5th straight victory in this series in the Beehive State before heading back to the Garden City next week. First pitch from Lindquist Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Hear the call on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M. and 1029espn.com.
