Clubhouse Reactions Following Game 14 vs. Great Falls
PaddleHeads Hold Off Late Charge In 7-5 Victory Wednesday
A Postgame Conversation with Manager Michael Schlact
Q: Great Falls showed more fight tonight clearly keeping things close coming down the stretch. Do you think it was a good thing for your group to face a little more adversity?
Schlact: "Absolutely critical for teams who want to win a championship to face adversity. We've had some closer games over the last week or so and I always enjoy seeing how they respond. Tonight was great."
Q: There were a few blips on the map coming down the stretch with defensive miscues. But a few of your arms pitched through this to keep your team in front. Andrew Armstrong did well to get out of the 8th with just the 1 run scoring. How can that be important?
Schlact: "Any time things don't go exactly as we plan yet we keep finding a way to get it done that's good for the squad. Proud of the way they handled the adversity."
Q: Dawson Day made himself comfortable in Great Falls once again after that 14 strikeout performance he had at the end of last season. What allowed him to bounce back from his last outing against Glacier to have success?
Schlact: "Dawson was way more locked in tonight mentally and had more of a bulldog mentality out there. The stuff is always good but he was looking to put them away from the beginning."
Q: Carlos Perez has continued the momentum he's been putting together with 3 solid games. Hitting home runs in consecutive games is always nice, but I really like the way he plays aggressively. An example of this is his activity on the base paths with steals. How does that energize a team?
Schlact: "Carlos on and off the field makes us proud we have him. The talent is there but who he is as a teammate and his calm demeanor is always great. Plus regardless of how he does on the field you can count on him to be a great teammate."
Q: Arman Sabouri has filled a few different roles for your bullpen over the last few seasons, but had not been asked to be the closer up to this point. Before this season, the last time he saved a game in professional baseball was when you both were products of the Rocky Mountain Vibes. What have you seen in him that has led to success in this late inning role?
Schlact: "It's all about Arman's attitude. It takes a special person to pitch the 9th and he has what it takes."
Q: For the most part, your offense was held in check after the middle innings. How do you get things rolling again in Game 3 tomorrow night?
Schlact: "Putting up 25 runs causes you to show up the next day in swing mode rather than sticking to the approach. I felt we got a little big at times but at the end of the day a win is a win."
Safford's Stars From Wednesday Night
Prior to Sunday afternoon's game against Glacier, Perez could not buy a hit. He had only tallied 3 hits to that point on the season in the midst of a slump. That has to weigh on you after a while. But as Schlact talked about after the game, Perez turned a corner on that Sunday afternoon. That has shown in the first 2 games of this series with the Voyagers. Similar to Day, Perez seems to feel right at home at Voyagers Stadium thinking back to big performances he had in that ballpark last season. His first professional home run was also hit in the Electric City to highlight one moment specifically.
There are few players that attack the game of baseball like Perez does which is also a great attribute. It puts pressure on your opponent and it's something that really carries over to the entire locker room. You do not assume a player that is listed on the roster as a catcher will put pressure on a team on the basis. But that is exactly what he has done to this point this season. Perez is currently tied for the team lead in steals (5) with Roberto Pena to highlight this point.
2019 was the last time Sabouri earned a save in a professional game before being slotted into the role of closer for the PaddleHeads this season. We did not know what a pandemic was at that point, and the Rocky Mountain Vibes were a Brewers affiliate. A lot of things about life have changed but Sabouri has proven that change at times can be for the better.
He typically had been a man that had appeared in later inning rolls for Missoula in years past, but this would be a new challenge for the southpaw. Thinking about a bullpen that features a lot of rookies, it makes sense to turn to a veteran presence. To this point, it has proven to be the right move to make. Sabouri did not allow a single in the bottom of the 9th to shake him whatsoever to preserve the save. Sabouri has only allowed 1 run in 6 appearances to this point and for the most part has attacked hitters effectively. This will allow some of the young hurlers on the roster to learn from a seasoned veteran on the mound. This will only be a positive thing for the young arms in the PaddleHeads pen to learn from.
For some reason, it seems like his production this season has gone a little under the radar. That is saying something thinking about the record breaking season he put together in 2024. This could have been effected by his late arrival to the season missing 5 straight games to open 2025. Despite that, there hasn't been anything quiet about what he has done to this point. Fogel has recorded a hit in 8 of the 9 games he has played this season. Fogel also has a team best .406 average.
One of the best things about watching Fogel's approach is that he is so far from a one trick pony. An example of this was seen in his at-bat in the later innings. The Voyagers defense was set up looking for him to pull the ball. A power hitter like Fogel oftentimes has this approach in mind. What did Fogel do? He went against the grain, hitting a ball to right field to reach base. That type of approach is unique for a power hitter. Finesse is not typically a word attributed to a single season home run record holder. But Fogel is no ordinary talent.