PaddleHeads Offense Leads The Way to Series Win Over Voyagers

MISSOULA, MT - The Missoula PaddleHeads squared off with the Great Falls Voyagers on Thursday night in the rubber matchup of a three game set at Allegiance Field at Ogren Park. Great Falls has proven to be a pesky opponent for this Missoula club to this point having the upper hand in 7 of 11 games played entering Thursday.Thanks to a big offensive output, the PaddleHeads would see the tide shift to their favor. 

For the second consecutive night, Missoula would put more than 10 runs on the board. With Jayson Newman also leading the offensive charge, the PaddleHeads would pull away down the stretch in a 12-8 victory to earn a series win over the Voyagers. 

After Great Falls grabbed an early 2-0 lead, Missoula would immediately fight back to tie the game in the next two frames. Newman would kickstart his offensive night in the first with an RBI single up the middle to score McClain O'Conner to get Missoula on the board. Jared Akins would then knock in Nick Gatewood from third on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2 in the second. That would also prove to not be the final time the pair was heard from.

Missoula would claim their first lead of the game in the fourth thanks to a two run blast off the bat of Brandon Riley that made the score 4-2. Akins would then bring home another in the frame on a double into right center to bring the lead to 3. Akins would finish the night 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs and Riley was 1-for-4. 

Newman put an exclamation point on a fabulous series opposite the Voyagers in the fifth, launching a home run to left field to make the score 6-3.  Newman would finish the night 3-for-5 with a home run and a pair of RBIs. The Los Angeles native was unstoppable at the plate over the 3 game set, finishing 9-for-14 in the series with 3 homers, and 7 RBIs. 

Great Falls would show fight in the sixth inning thanks to Collin Runge who would tie the game with a 3-run blast to right to knot up the score at 6. Despite the clutch swing, the Voyagers would never get any closer as Missoula would score 6 unanswered over the next two innings. 

A five run rally in the seventh inning would see the PaddleHeads start to pull away. Gatewood would bring home the first run of the frame on an RBI single before a bases-loaded walk by Akins. Kevin Whatley delivered the knockout blow later in the frame with a bases clearing double into right center that made the score 12-6. Great Falls would tally a pair in the ninth to make things interesting, but it would prove to not be enough. 

The PaddleHeads (13-7) are now set to head to the Flathead Valley for the first time to take on the Glacier Range Riders (8-12) on Friday night to open a 3 game set. It will be the first time these teams have gotten together in a regular season game in the history of either franchise. First pitch from Flathead Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Listen in for all the action on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.