Ballers Hold Off Late Surge In Win Saturday
Missoula Comeback Effort Falls Short In 8-5 Loss
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Missoula, MT - A large portion of Saturday's ballgame between the Missoula PaddleHeads and Oakland Ballers was dictated by a stellar effort on the mound from Oakland's starting pitcher Charlie Hurley. The right hander allowed just one hit through his outing in sensational work on the mound. The offense did its part on the flipside to ensure the Ballers held the advantage. A pair of swings in the bottom of the 8th tightened things dramatically however leading to a tight finish down the stretch.
A pair of PaddleHeads home runs in the bottom of the 8th inning cut Oakland's advantage to 7-5. This shift in momentum did not affect the effort from the Ballers however as they managed to bring home runs in the final 4 innings of the ballgame to keep the lead. Missoula also was held off the board in the final inning allowing the Ballers to earn a 8-5 win.
After 3 scoreless innings the Ballers drew first blood in the top of the 4th. Davis Drewek delivered the power en route to the lead hitting a 3-run bomb to right center field. The centerfielder also knocked in a run with a double in the 7th to give Oakland a 6-1 lead. Drewek finished the game 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs and a pair of runs scored. This production proved to be plenty of support for Hurley.
The former Texas Longhorn used a heavy fastball to keep the PaddleHeads offense under wraps through his 6 innings of work. Hurley allowed just 1 hit in that span while striking out 7 batters en route to his first win with the Ballers. The PaddleHeads fought to within striking distance after the departure of the California native.
Enzo Apodaca, and Nich Klemp brought the PaddleHeads right back into the fight in consecutive at-bats. The Right fielder brought 3-runs home with a home run to ignite the crowd to make the score 7-4. Klemp then struck with a home run to left field to cut the deficit to 2 This was the last gasp offensively for the PaddleHeads however as the comeback fell short. Apodaca and Klemp both finished 1-for-3 in the game.
Jake Allgeyer and Nick Leehey provided runs of insurance in the late innings in the 8th and 9th allowing the Ballers to salt the game away. Allgeyer knocked in a run with a single in the 8th and Leehey came through with a 2-out RBI knock in the top of the 9th to expand the lead to 3. The 3rd baseman had a pair of RBIs finishing 2-for-5 and Leehey was 1-for-5. Both teams will now get set for the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
The PaddleHeads (13-10) will play in their first matinee affair at home this Sunday in the finale of a 6-game set with the Ballers (10-13). First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Head to Allegiance Field for a 'Kids Free Sunday' or stay locked in with the live broadcast on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
