PaddleHeads Hang On in ‘Knockout’ Win Over Hawks

Boise, ID - Things would look bleak in the early going for the Missoula PaddleHeads in game 2 of a 3 game set at Memorial Stadium opposite the Boise Hawks. After starting pitcher Rafael Monsion was forced to depart in the first inning due to injury, Boise would take control, leading 7-2 through 4. Despite having a lot stacked against them, Missoula would battle back in the middle innings setting up a close fight to the finish down the stretch. 

In innings 5 through 7, Missoula would score 7 unanswered runs to take the lead at 9-7. The Hawks countered in the final two frames however, scoring 3 times to tie the score at 10. The Hawks also threatened to end the game with a walk off in the ninth inning after a game tying home run started the frame.  Missoula found a way to keep the Hawks off the board after that point however which led to the game being sent to a 'Knockout.' Jayson Newman would be called upon in the situation and would launch 1 homer in the opening round. Needing a home run to keep the battle going, Jacob Cruce of Boise came up short giving Missoula an 1-0 win in the knockout. 

Damage done with 2-outs in the third,and fourth innings would give Boise the advantage early. Haloa Dudoit singled home a pair to give Boise a 4 run advantage in the third. A double from Juan Texiera, and a triple from Raymond Gil would then also knock in a pair in the fourth giving the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 7-2. Missoula would quickly start to turn things around in the next frame however thanks to one swing.  

Brandon Riley would give the PaddleHeads the jolt they needed to get back in the game with a 3 run blast to cut Boise's advantage to 7-5 in the fifth. Missoula's offense would keep it rolling in the next half inning with another 3-run rally to erase the five run advantage completely. A double from Keaton Greenwalt cut the deficit to one in the frame. Two batters later Nick Cici would tie the game at 7 with a sacrifice fly. With Greenwalt on at third, Kevin Whatley would give Missoula the lead back with a clutch 2-out single that made the score 7-6. Whatley finished 2-for-4, and Greenwalt was 2-for-5. Cici also chipped in finishing 1-for-3. 

Nick Gatewood would add to the lead in the seventh with a single to left that brought home Newman to make the score 9-7. It would be one of many highlights in the game offensively for the Georgia State product who would finish the game 4-for-5 with a pair of RBis.

Boise would fight down the stretch in the final two innings to stay in the game. Tyler Jorgensen would single home a run in the eighth cutting the PaddleHeads lead to one and would later score in the frame on a wild pitch to tie the game at 9. This would set the stage for a wild series of events in the ninth. 

Greenwalt would give Missoula the lead again in the top of the ninth with a single scoring pinch runner Dan Swain from second to make the score 10-9. Unlike the night before however, the Hawks would have a rebuttal in the bottom half of the ninth as Jordan Rathbone would hit a solo homer to left to deadlock things at 10. 

The Hawks would then continue the rally, advancing a pair of runners to second and third base after a single, and walk. Frankie Jezorio would then hit a fly ball to left that would be tracked down by Riley. Duboit would attempt to score from third tagging up on the play. The gamble would not pay off as Riley would throw out the runner by a wide margin to send the game to the knockout round.

Missoula's bullpen was put into a difficult position after the early departure of Monsion in the first. Nathan Alexander would do a fabulous job in 3 ⅓ innings of relief from the end of the fourth through the seventh. The Texas native did now allow a run in that stretch while striking out a pair. 

Missoula (24-10) would also see their lead in the Pioneer League North Standings grow to 3 ½ games over the second place Great Falls Voyagers (21-14) who fell to the Glacier Range Riders on Sunday evening. The PaddleHeads will look to finish off a sweep of the Hawks (13-22) in the series finale on Monday night. First pitch from Memorial Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m. Hear the call on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.