Huge Comeback Falls Just Short In 10-9 Loss In Great Falls

GREAT FALLS, MT - Seemingly nothing was going right for the Missoula PaddleHeads on Friday for a large chunk of the contest opposite the Great Falls Voyagers. After jumping to a brief lead in the 2nd, Great Falls would score 10 unanswered runs from innings 3 through 5 to seemingly blow the game open. After the departure of Voyagers starter Nick Marshall however, the wind would shift dramatically in the other direction. Missoula would give themselves more than a fighting chance down the stretch as a result. 

The PaddleHeads would tally runs in the final 4 innings of the contest to race back from a 9-run hole. In the top of the 9th, Missoula would also cut the Voyagers lead to just one run as the first 4 batters would reach base in the frame. Furthermore, the PaddleHeads would see the tying, and lead runs in scoring position in the inning. The mountain would prove to be just a bit too tall to climb on this night however as the Voyagers would manage to strand these runners to escape the situation with a 10-9 win. 

A 3-batter stretch in the 2nd would give the PaddleHeads their only lead of the night. After a leadoff double from Alec Sanchez, Hayden Travinski would bring him in on a double of his own to make the score 1-0. Travinski knocked in 2 in the loss finishing 1-for-4 while Sanchez finished 2-for-3. The Voyagers bats would get going an inning later mounting a big lead over a 3 inning stretch. 

A 5-run rally in the bottom of the 3rd would vault Great Falls to the lead for the first time. A pair of runs would score on a single in the inning from Jack Lynch to give the Voyagers their first lead in the inning at 3-1. A double from Frank Podkul would also do damage in the frame as Great Falls would jump to a 5-1 advantage. Lynch would wrap up the night finishing 2-for-4 while Podkul was 1-for-5. 

After Xane Washington knocked in a pair more with a single in the 4th, the Voyagers would just keep on rolling in the next half inning to jump to their largest lead of the night. Jeff Nicol would kick off a 3-run 5th inning rally with a double to left center. Ryan Major would then follow that effort with a triple in the frame to bring in the Voyagers 9th run. Major would then score on a single from Freddy Rojas Jr. as Great Falls would then lead 10-1. Nicol had 2 RBIs in the win finishing 2-for-4. Major would lead the charge from the top of the order finishing 3-for-5. 

Marshall would keep the PaddleHeads offense mainly under wraps on the hill in 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. The right hander would retire 9 consecutive batters in one stretch of success. The Wisconsin native would also strike out 10 batters in the outing while walking just 2. Missoula would click things into gear in a big way however after Marshall's departure to fight to the brink. 

Missoula's comeback would begin in earnest with a 4-run push in the top of the 7th. A pair of home runs would do the job off the bats of Patrick Chung, and Adam Fogel. Chung would also knock in a run with a double an inning later to cut the deficit to 10-7.  The home run for Fogel was his 35th on the season, adding to his league record total. Work down the stretch for the PaddleHeads pen also played a big role in the Missoula comeback. 

Garrett Eddy, and Jimmy Loper would not budge down the stretch in 3 combined innings of work. The only man to reach against the southpaw Eddy in 1 ⅔ innings would do so on an error. Loper would then strike out all 4 men he faced in 1 ⅓ frames to keep momentum on the PaddleHeads side. Missoula would then put a lot of pressure on the Voyagers in one last push in the top of the 9th. 

An RBI single from Josh Elvir would get things rolling in a 2-run effort in the top of the 9th. Travinski would also put the ball in play to get a run in with an RBI groundout in the frame with the bases loaded to make the score 10-9. This also set up a situation with 2 runners in scoring position with just 1 out in the frame. Zach Volker would find a way to bear down in the high leverage situation however, stranding those 2 runners aboard to hold the line. 

Despite the loss, Missoula (59-29) surely showed character down the stretch to cut a 9 run deficit all the way to 1. The PaddleHeads will now turn the ball over to their ace Alfredo Villa Saturday as Missoula will look to get back on track in game 5 Saturday night opposite the Voyagers. Action kicks off with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch from the Electric City. Listen in on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M. and 1029espn.com.