Owlz Allow Six Runs in Ninth, Get Walked Off Again

BILLINGS, Mont. -- For the second time in three games, the Owlz had a three-run lead entering the ninth inning and blew it.

When Tyshaun Chapman (L, 0-1) entered the game, NoCo (0-5) had a 7-4 lead and his pitching staff-mates had retired 10-straight Billings (2-3) batters. On the heels of a game where they walked 10, the Owlz arms had given up a combined two of them to that point on Sunday.

Chapman even got two quick outs of his own, meaning the Mustangs scored six-straight runs with their backs against the wall to win this one in wild walk-off fashion.

Billings' Mitch Piatnik walked before Jalen Garcia tattooed a triple to score him. Garcia's shot looked like a homer all the way, but Jackson Raper really left no doubt with the one he walloped. Raper's second slam of the series tied the game at 7-7. Then, Jacob Kline clubbed his third single of the afternoon, Nick Ultsch singled an at-bat later, and Gabe Wurtz whacked the walk-off three-run homer that handed NoCo its fifth-straight loss.

Tough one to swallow.

It had been a tough game to gauge at times. Momentum in Sunday's scrap seesawed until the sixth, when the Owlz surged to score four runs.

Entering that inning, they trailed 4-3. Not only that, but they'd struck out at least once 19 innings in a row, dating back to the fifth inning of Friday's loss at Great Falls.

They snapped that streak by slapping three hits, drawing two walks, and batting around the order. Ty Lewis and Kevin Higgins traded singles to initiate the inning. Seth Strong walked to load the bases, giving way to Marshall Rich's second sac fly of the afternoon that scored Lewis and tied the game. Alex Jackson walked, loading 'em up again, and when Brian Dansereau did the same, he earned an RBI that took the lead. Right after that, Euro Diaz drove a double for two RBI of his own, supplying his squad with the 7-4 lead it held until the ninth inning collapse.

Rich recorded a team-high and season-high three RBI with those sac flies and a double. Overall, NoCo only knocked seven hits, but combined with its impressive pitching performance, that total looked like enough for dub number one.

Preston Snavely started on Sunday, spinning a solid one and snapping a streak of subpar starts by his staff-mates. After that scoring swell in the sixth, Snavely fell in line for the win after pitching five innings. He allowed eight hits, three earned runs, and two walks. His only strikeout was a looking one, meaning he didn't elicit many swings-and-misses. He did allow Wurtz's other homer of this game, after all. But at the same time, he didn't allow a crazy amount of meaningful contact either.

Succeeding Snavely was Chase Wilkerson, who sat down all six batters he faced with just 26 pitches. Kyle Adkins, Sunday's setup man, fanned the first batter he saw and induced two flyouts in a row before handing the reigns to Chapman in the ninth.

For Billings, their starter was sensational for the second night in a row. This time it was Darrien Ragins, who struck out eight NoCo hitters across 3.2 innings. Ultimately, Augie Martinez (W, 1-1) earned the victory by pitching the Mustangs absolute final out in this one, benefitting from Billings ability to bust it open late.

Some disappointing déjà vu delivers the Owlz another series loss. They get one more crack at Billings on Monday, closing out their season-opening six-game road trip. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.