Chukars Avoid Sweep With 9th Inning Rally Sunday
Reisinger Throws 7 Shutout Innings In Finale With Idaho Falls
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Missoula, MT - The Missoula PaddleHeads had a chance to finish off a sweep of the Idaho Falls Chukars on Sunday afternoon in the series finale of a three-game set. Behind a fabulous effort from starter Tom Reisinger, Missoula led most of the way. Chukars starter Seth Spencer also had a solid outing; Missoula was limited to just 2 runs in 8 innings. This left the door open for Idaho Falls in the late innings. When they needed it most, the Chukars attack found its groove.
7 consecutive batters reached base in the top of the 9th inning, fueling a rally for Idaho Falls. A grand slam did the most damage in this stretch giving the Chukars the lead for the first time in the ballgame as part of a 5-run rally. Missoula punched back in the bottom half, plating a pair of runs in a comeback effort. Idaho Falls managed to strand a pair of runners on base to thwart this effort, avoiding the sweep in a 5-4 win.
Offense was tough to come by for a large portion of the game with starting pitching holding things in check. The PaddleHeads were the only team on the board initially plating runs in the 3rd and 5th. Enzo Apodaca drew a bases loaded walk in the 3rd to plate the game's first run. Spencer quickly got out of trouble in the frame however, inducing a double play to put out the fire. Later in the 5th, a familiar source of power took flight.
Xavier Casserilla launched his 3rd home run in as many games against Idaho Falls in the 5th giving the PaddleHeads a 2-0 advantage. It was a huge week collectively for the 3rd baseman hitting 5 bombs to bring his total to 14 on the season. The former Mustang also tallied 13 hits this week knocking in 14 runs.
Reisinger was firmly in control of the Chukar order in 7 shutout innings. The former Athletics product allowed only 4 hits in that time while striking out 7 batters. Reisinger routinely worked ahead in the count, throwing nearly 70% of his pitches for strikes overall. In the end, Missoula's fate was sealed after his departure.
A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases in the top of the 9th for Parker Lester. The first baseman came through in the clutch situation hitting a line drive over the left field fence to give Idaho Falls their first lead at 4-2. A sacrifice fly from Emilo Barrera added an extra run of insurance in the push giving the Chuks' a 5-2 lead. This proved to be a huge factor when things shifted to the bottom of the 9th.
Missoula loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th to immediately put Idaho Falls in a bind. Mike Koszewski did damage in the inning, lacing a single up the middle to cut the deficit to 1. Missoula also had the winning runners on the bases after this sequence. Hunter Hargett honed it in from there however, retiring 2 consecutive batters to preserve the save and win for the Chukars. The PaddleHeads will now turn their attention to games on the road.
Missoula (18-22) will head to the Idaho capital city on Monday to prepare for a 3-game series with the Boise Hawks (22-19). This will also begin the final week of the 1st half of the regular season. First pitch from Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Stay up to date with all the action on the road with the live broadcast on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.
