Mustangs Hold Down PaddleHeads Attack In 5-2 Defeat

Billings, MT- The Missoula PaddleHeads threatened for much of the night offensively in game 4 of a 6 game set on Friday night opposite the Billings Mustangs. Trailing by 3 in the 9th, Missoula would have one last push in them loading the bases in the inning with 2-outs. It would be a night however that saw Billings escape many threatening sequences en route to their second win this week. 

Beaux Bovillan would manage to escape the ninth inning unscaved despite seeing the bases loaded in the frame in a 5-2 defeat. The PaddleHeads would have opportunities to get more runs on the board recording 13 hits in the loss. Missoula would strand 13 batters on base in the defeat however, as the Mustangs would hold the line for the bulk of the night. 

Billings jumped on the board first in the second inning thanks to a solo home run for the second consecutive night. Andrew Fernandez would strike for the Mustangs with a solo home run to left field which would get the Mustangs on the board. Neither offense would find much success for the next 2 innings after this point. It would prove to be enough for Mustangs starter Kelvan Pilot who would keep Billings out in front. 

Pilot earned the win for his work over 6 innings for Billings Friday night. The second year Mustang would strike out 7 over those innings while not allowing a single run. Missoula would have their opportunities to get runs across opposite Pilot recording 7 hits. Pilot would never budge when runners would get aboard against him however as the PaddleHeads would strand 8 runners aboard in frames pitched by Pilot. 

Billings would swing momentum in a big way in the bottom of the fifth inning extending their advantage to 3-0 after being held quiet offensively for the most part up to that point. Both runs would come in to score on a pair of triples off the bats of Jackson Raper, and Gabe Wurtz. This 2-0ut sequence would give Billings the cushion they needed down the stretch to hold on for the win. Raper finished 2-for-4 and Wurtz was 1-for-4. 

The PaddleHeads got on the board for the first time in the 7th innings thanks to a double from Lamar Sparks that would cut the Mustangs advantage to 3-1. Sparks would finish 2-for-5 in the losing effort. Billings would also grab the momentum right back in the next half inning after the PaddleHeads found the scoreboard. 

Back-to-back RBI singles from Raper, and Juan Tiexera would see Billings claim their largest lead of the night at 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tiexera had his best night at the plate as a member of the Mustangs as the former Boise Hawk would finish the night 3-for-4. The PaddleHeads would show fight in the final 2 innings offensively to make things interesting, but would never be able to get over the hump.

Missoula would immediately threaten in the top of the eighth thanks to a trio of singles from Nick Gatewood, Cameron Thompson, and Kamron Willman to load the bases. Despite setting things up for a big inning, the PaddleHeads would only find the scoreboard once on a sacrifice fly from Keaton Greenwalt to bring the score to 5-2. This would also be the last time Missoula would find the scoreboard despite loading the bases in both of the final 2 innings. Willman and Thompson would both finish 3-for-5 in the loss while Gatewood was 2-for-4. 

Game 5 between the PaddleHeads (58-23) and Mustangs (44-36) will see both teams looking to find an advantage in the 6 game set as both clubs have both tallied 2 wins over the course of the first 4 games of the series. Action from Dehler Park is set to begin at 6:35 on Saturday night in Billings. Catch all the action on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.