Voyagers Win 4th in a Row

The Great Falls Voyagers picked up a narrow victory in game two against Missoula, final score was 11-10. It was a game that saw some chaotic weather conditions and was called off in the 5th inning.

There had been a light drizzle floating around the stadium throughout the day, and by the time the first pitch came around, there was some significant moisture on the field. Wind speeds averaged around 30 miles per hour, blowing straight out to center field. Danny Galvan got the start for the Voyagers against the Paddleheads' Nick Smith. Both starting pitchers struggled in their outings, although many of the issues they were having could be attributed to the less-than-ideal weather. All pitchers' velocities were down, and breaking balls were not breaking as much as usual. You would also frequently see Galvan and Smith using scrapers and kicking the dirt off their cleats. 

Combining these factors with two of the most potent offenses in the league right now was a recipe for a showdown. The Paddleheads struck right away, with four runs in the first frame. With two outs, Alec Sanchez and Carlos Perez had back-to-back RBI knocks. Then, Josh Elvir hit a pop-up that seemingly drifted out to shallow left-center to Caden Green at shortstop. However, the wind caught the ball, sending it drifting into shallow right field, where it dropped for a 2 RBI double. This was the first glaring example of the weather impacting the outcome of the game. 

The Voyagers immediately responded, loading the bases in the bottom of the frame before recording an out. Hylan Hall walked to bring home the team's first run, and an RBI knock from Freddy Rojas Jr. followed. The Voyagers finished the inning down 3-4. 

More of the same in the second frame for the Paddleheads, they put up three more runs on RBI doubles from Roberto Pena and Carlos Perez, the score after 2 innings was 7-3, but the Voyagers kept responding. Hylan Hall, Frank Podkul, and Freddy Rojas Jr. all had RBI knocks in the third inning, and tied the game back up at 7 apiece.

Missoula immediately responded in the next frame with an Alec Sanchez two-run homer, giving his team a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the 4th. But the Voyagers had an even bigger bottom of the 4th, continuing the offensive battle. Hylan Hall singled to center field to drive in Xane Washington and Caden Green. Then Frank Podkul blasted a two-run home run out to left-center field, putting his team up 11-9. It was Podkul's 9th home run of the season and was the 5th lead change of the game.

The Paddleheads fought back with an RBI single from Kamron Willman in the top of the 5th, but due to the weather conditions, that would be the final chance they got at the plate. The game is called off and completed in the 5th inning due to rain, final score of this one was 11-10m advantage Great Falls. Nate Madej gets the start for the V's against Dawson Day for Missou, tune in at 7 PM MT!