5-Run 6th Inning Leads Voyagers Past PaddleHeads

GREAT FALLS, MT - After only 4 combined runs separated the Great Falls Voyagers and Missoula PaddleHeads over the first 2 games of this 3 game set, Thursday's contest would also be a tight battle. The Voyagers would grab the lead in the early stages but would never see the lead grow above 3 runs in the first 5 innings. That would change behind a rally for Great Falls in the bottom of the 6th inning. This also would prove to be enough cushion for the Voyagers coming down the stretch. 

A 5-run rally in the bottom of the 6th turned a close contest into a 9-3 affair in a blink of an eye. The PaddleHeads would fight back in the next half frame to cut right back into the deficit. The PaddleHeads pen would then also keep the game close in the final 3 innings allowing Missoula to stay within striking distance. The Voyagers would never allow Missoula to get over the hump however, holding a lead throughout in a 9-7 win at home. 

Ryan Holgate gave the Voyagers the lead with a single to knock in leadoff man Ryan Major as part of a 2-run push in the bottom of the 1st. Another run would score in the frame on a double play ball as the lead would be 2-0 in the frame. The PaddleHeads attack would get going to stay in the game in the 3rd. 

After reaching base on a bunt single, Patrick Chung would score Missoula's first run on a single from Roberto Pena to make the score 2-1. It was another fabulous night for Chung finishing 3-for-5. Pena was also productive, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Success from hitters at the bottom Voyagers order would help stretch the lead back out. 

Catcher Antonio Hernandez would kick off a 2-out rally for Great Falls with a double to left center bringing the first of 2 runs home. Caden Green would then single home Hernandez in the inning making the score 4-1. Both players were productive throughout in the win as Green finished 3-for-4 and Fernandez finished 2-for-4. Missoula kept things close in the 5th. 

A double from Pena would start off a 2-run rally in the 5th inning. Alec Sanchez would then trim the Great Falls lead to 1 with a sacrifice fly. After seeing things remain tight to this point, Great Falls would find the separation they needed in the bottom of the 6th. 

The Voyagers would bring 10 batters to the plate in a 5-run 6th inning. Singles from Fernandez and Jack Lynch played a role. A pair of costly errors in the field would also fan the flames as Great Falls took a 9-3 lead. The PaddleHeads would prove to have short memory however in a push of their own offensively. 

A pair of singles from Adam Fogel, and Colin Runge would start off a 4-run push that got Missoula right back into the thick of it in the 7th. An error at shortstop allowed the last 2 runs of the frame to cross the plate as Missoula trailed by just 2 runs. A 2 man combination in the backend of the Voyagers pen would slam the door however coming to the finish line. 

Luke Powell and Jose Torrealba would hold the line in the final 2 frames allowing just one base runner. After Powell struck out the side in the 8th, Torrealba would pitch a clean 9th to earn his 5th save of the season. The Voyagers will now look to bring the show on the road as these 2 teams will now battle in Missoula over the weekend. 

The PaddleHeads (47-16) and Voyagers (22-41)  will now play a 3 game set at Allegiance Field Ogren Park over the weekend with action beginning on Friday night in the Garden City. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. If you can't join the PaddleHeads for 'Free Beer Night' at the ballpark, tune in on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M. and 1029espn.com.