2-Out Rallies Doom PaddleHeads In Loss Sunday

GREAT FALLS, MT- The Missoula PaddleHeads would play their final game on the road this season on Sunday in the series finale with the Great Falls Voyagers. Missoula would be in search of a win to salvage a split of the 6 game set. In the top of the 1st inning, Missoula would fail to get a run home with a pair of runners in scoring position in a 2-out scenario. Great Falls would be able to find success with 2-outs in quick order after this scenario played out to set the tone for a big day for their offense. 

The Voyagers would tally 5 hits with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st to jump to a 4-0 advantage. A few innings later Great Falls would do more damage with 2 outs to extend their lead to 7. The PaddleHeads attack on the flipside would be held in check for the majority of the day by rookie right hander CJ Czerwinski who would cruise his way through 7 innings. The end result would be a 12-1 victory for Great Falls that would seemingly never be in doubt. 

Freddy Rojas Jr. would provide the first big swing for the Voyagers in a 4-run first inning, lacing a 2-out triple down the right field line. Jack Lynch would then knock him in with a single in short order. Oscar Serratos Jr. would then provide more muscle giving Great Falls a 4-0 lead on a 2-run home run to left field. Lynch and Serratos Jr. would both finish 2-for-4 while Rojas Jr. finished 1-for-5. Another offensive push with 2 outs would also be a factor later in the contest. 

For the 2nd time in the game a swing with 2 outs would do the damage in a 3-run rally in the bottom of the 4th. Xane Washington would then give the Voyagers a 7-0 lead with a 2-run shot to right field. The 2nd year Voyager would reach base 4 times in the win finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Czerwinski would ensure that Missoula would not have many thoughts of a comeback on the flipside. 

The Gardner-Webb product would retire 11 consecutive batters in one stretch of success from the 2nd inning through the 5th on his way to a win on the hill. Czerwinski would allow just 1 run over 7 innings of work while striking out 9 to earn his 3rd win of the season. Seemingly only one man would have the advantage opposite the Pennsylvania native bringing in the only PaddleHeads run as a result. 

Patrick Chung would bring in the lone run of the afternoon for Missoula with a double into left center in the 6th inning. Chung would finish with a pair of doubles in the loss finishing 2-for-3 Sunday. These doubles would also bring his total to 30 on the season. The Voyagers would make sure that momentum stayed on their side however after Chung's production with even more success offensively. 

Great Falls would bring in 3 runs on sacrifice flies in the 6th and 7th innings as their run total reached double digits. An RBI triple from Ryan Major would also be a factor in the 6th as the Voyagers tallied runs in their final 3 innings at the plate offensively. Great Falls would finish the contest with 16 hits collectively to race to a big lead. The PaddleHeads will now look to erase the memories of their final game on the road Sunday when they return home to wrap up the regular season. 

Missoula (60-30) will conclude the regular season with a 6-game homestand in the series opener with the Billings Mustangs. A week of action at Allegiance Field Ogren Park gets rolling with a 7:15 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday evening. If you cannot be at the ballpark in person, listen to the action on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.