Runge Delivers Solid Pitching Performance In Victory

BILLINGS, MT- The Missoula PaddleHeads starting pitching staff was shorthanded entering this series with the Billings Mustangs on the road. Starting pitchers Alfredo Villa, and Dawson Day entered the week on the inactive list for Missoula leaving them with 4 available starting pitchers. In game 5 of the 6 game set Saturday, the PaddleHeads would have had none of those arms available. For the 2nd time this season, Missoula would call upon Collin Runge to get the start having had experience on the mound the last 2 seasons in the Pioneer League. Surely the PaddleHeads normal 3rd baseman entered the start with a tight leash. Behind success with a knuckleball, Runge would prove to not need it. 

The 3rd year pro would pitch to contact extremely well throughout the course of the outing that would last all the way to the 7th inning. The Billings attack would be limited to just 2 runs in those frames. The PaddleHeads offense would provide enough punch in the early innings on the flipside to back the effort in the spot start for Runge in an 8-5 win for Missoula. 

The offense for the PaddleHeads  would get rolling right out of the shoot in the top of the 1st bringing home 5 runs to set the tone. 10 Batters would come to the plate in the frame. Roberto Pena would get things rolling after a leadoff double from Patrick Chung hitting a 2-run bomb to make the score 2-0. This would kick off a big day at the dish as Pena who would finish just a triple shy of the cycle in a 3-for-5 performance. Chung also reached base 3 times in the win finishing 2-for-5. 

RBI Singles with 2-outs would then do the rest in consecutive at-bats from Josh Elvir, Taylor Smith, and Cameron Thompson making the score 5-0 in the 1st.. Thompson would finish his day 2-for-4 at the plate, and Smith would finish 1-for-3. Elvir also knocked in a pair of runs in the win finishing 1-for-4. That production would prove to be all the cushion Runge would need.

The Western Oregon product would scatter 4 hits over 7 innings while walking just 2 batters earning the win on the mound. After allowing a 2-run home run to Gabe Wurtz in the bottom of the 3rd, Runge would only allow 2 base runners to reach in the rest of his outing. Interestingly enough, Runge began the first starting pitcher this week to make it through 7 innings filling a role he surely normally would not. 

A run of insurance for Missoula would give the PaddleHeads a 6-run lead in the top of the 9th thanks to Thompson. The product of Kansas State would single home Runge on a single to right making the score 8-2. This extra run would prove to be relevant in the bottom of the 9th as the Mustangs offense came to life seemingly out of nowhere. 

Billings would see 5 consecutive batters reach to start the bottom of the 9th with 4 singles playing the biggest role. In this sequence singles from Evan Blum, and Mitch Moralez with runners aboard would plate 3 runs making the score 8-5. In the at-bats that followed, Billings would manage to load the bases with 2-outs for the powerful Wurtz. The 3rd year pro would hit a lazy fly ball into right center in the situation however as Ethan Swanson pitched out of a jam for the 2nd consecutive night allowing Missoula to find the win column for the 2nd night in a row. 

The PaddleHeads (22-7) will make their final regular season appearances at Dehler Park in the series finale with the Mustangs (15-14) on Sunday afternoon. A win would also clinch a series victory in this 6-game slate with Billings. Action on a Sunday afternoon gets underway with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch. Catch the action on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M. and 1029espn.com.