Fogel Homers 3 Times In PaddleHeads Win Over Raptors
Parker Keeps Ogden Bats In Check In 12-5 Win Sunday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
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3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | X | 12 | 12 | 1 |
MISSOULA, MT- The final day of the first half of the 2024 Pioneer League season featured a rubber match between the Missoula PaddleHeads and Ogden Raptors in the finale of a 3-game set Sunday afternoon. The previous 2 games saw Ogden grab the lead in the early innings with success offensively. Game 3 had a different feel with starting pitcher Nick Parker keeping things under control throughout. On the flip side, the PaddleHeads offense would be highlighted by an outstanding effort by Adam Fogel.
The 1st year PaddleHead would tie a Pioneer League record hitting 3 home runs in the game. Fogel would finish the half also with an astonishing 23 home runs to lead the league. Parker would limit the Raptors to just 1 earned run in his work earning the win on the mound in a 12-5 win for Missoula over Ogden. The 37 wins for the PaddleHeads in the half was their highest total in a half in team history surpassing the previous mark of 35 wins the last 2 seasons. The win in the rubber match Sunday also gave Missoula a series win in every series they played in during the 1st half.
Fogel got the PaddleHeads rolling right away in the 1st 2 innings. The Kentucky product would hit a 3-run home run that traveled over 450 feet to get things started in the 1st. Fogel would then give Missoula a 5-0 advantage in the 2nd hitting a line drive over the right field wall. The Southern California native would strike again in the late innings.
Parker would only allow 4 hits and an earned run over 6 ⅔ on the mound for Missoula earning the win as a result.The Pennsylvania native would strike out 6 over the course of the outing. Parker's best attribute would be his ability to find the zone routinely, throwing nearly 70% of his 108 pitches in the outing for strikes. A push offensively in Missoula's last 3 innings at the plate ensured that Ogden would have no thoughts of a comeback.
Missoula would bring home 7 runs from innings 6 through 8 to expand the lead to a comfortable margin. Patrick Chung would be the first man to get something going bringing home a run in the 6th with a triple to right center. Chung would reach base 4 times from the top of the order in a 2-for-3 day at the plate. The 3rd year PaddleHead has recorded a hit in 19 consecutive games. The Missoula attack would have its biggest rally in the 8th to put things away.
Fogel launched his 3rd home run of the afternoon to dead center in the 7th inning to put an exclamation point on his otherworldly first half of the season. Fogel knocked in 5 runs in the win in a 3-for-4 performance. Fogel leads the league in batting average (.448), home runs (23), and RBIs (75). The PaddleHeads left fielder also has recorded a hit in 11 consecutive games. Other weapons would help put the game away with a big rally in the next half inning.
Josh Elvir knocked in a pair of runs with a double as part of a 5-run rally in the bottom of the 8th that expanded the Missoula lead to 10 runs. Elvir would notch his 4th multi-hit game of the week Sunday finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Catcher Taylor Smith would then bring in 2 more runs with a single giving the PaddleHeads a 12-2 lead. Ogen would see 3 runs come in during the top of the 9th but would never threaten further. Missoula will now roll into the 2nd half of the Pioneer League season that opens after a Monday off day.
The PaddleHeads (37-11) will begin off the 2nd half of the regular season opposite the other team to earn a playoff berth from solid play in the 1st half in the Glacier Range Riders (26-16). Glacier finished in 2nd place in the Pioneer League standings to reach the postseason for the 1st time in franchise history.
Game 1 of a 3 game series on the road between these 2 Western Montana outfits is set for Tuesday evening as the PaddleHeads make their first appearance this season at Glacier Bank Park in the Flathead Valley. First pitch from Flathead Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Catch all the action from just outside Glacier National Park on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M. and 1029espn.com.
