Walk Off Home Run From DeBonville Highlights PaddleHeads Win

MISSOULA, MT- The Boise Hawks would lead for a large chunk of the action on Thursday night in game 3 opposite the Missoula PaddleHeads. Behind a stretch in the 2nd, and 3rd the Hawks would hold a 4 run lead over the PaddleHeads. After getting to the bullpen in the 4th inning it also looked like Boise was primed to push the lead out further holding momentum. The PaddleHeads bullpen had other ideas however as they would hold the Hawks in check the rest of the way. On the flip side, Missoula would chip away offensively to give themselves a chance down the stretch. With things knotted up in the bottom of the 9th, the PaddleHeads would do more than just hang around offensively. 

Knotted up at 5 runs apiece, the PaddleHeads would turn to the bench to start things off in the bottom of the 9th. Thomas DeBonville would be called upon in the clutch situation against a tough southpaw out of the Boise bullpen in Noah McBride. This battle would prove to be a short one however as the 3rd year pro would smack the 2nd pitch he saw over the wall in right field. This would bring the PaddleHeads faithful to their feet as DeBonville would give Missoula their first walk-off win of the season to notch their 6th straight win by a tally of 6-5. 

Home run power would get Missoula rolling in the early going as well thanks to McClain O'Connor. The Nevada native would lead off the 1st with a solo bomb to left field to put Missoula in front early 1-0. O'Connor would go on to finish the contest 1-for-4. This lead would prove to be short lived in the early innings however as Boise would turn things on offensively in the 2nd and 3rd innings. 

A 4-run push in the 2nd inning would give the Hawks momentum early bringing themselves to the lead for the 1st time. Doubles in consecutive at-bats from Sean Skelly, and DJ Poteet would set things up in the frame. Tyler Jorgensen would be the first to drive in a run with a single. After a 2-run double off the bat of Ronnie Allen Jr, Kenny Oyama would round out the scoring with an RBI single of his own to give Boise a 4-1 advantage. Jorgensen had a solid night in the loss finishing 2-for-3. Poteet, and Oyama would both finish the night 1-for-4. Allen Jr. would chip in finishing 1-for-3. 

Skelly would bring Boise's lead to its largest margin of the night in the next half inning hitting a solo blast to right center to make the score 5-1. Skelly would finish the night 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI. This would be the last time the Hawks would find the scoreboard as the PaddleHead bullpen would hold the line to give Missoula a chance down the stretch. 

Jestin Jones did more than hold up his end in 2 ⅔ innings by not allowing a single hit over those frames while striking out 4 batters to lead Missoula to the 7th inning. The 2nd year pro has been solid in 10 appearances thus far with Missoula tallying 19 strikeouts so far on the season. After Jones' departure at the conclusion of the 6th, Cody Thompson would pitch Missoula out of a big jam. 

Thompson would inherit a bases loaded situation in the top of the 7th with Missoula trailing by 2. The 2nd year PaddleHead would not allow another man to reach as Thompson would pitch Missoula out of the jam retiring 3 batters in a row. Thompson would make it thru 1 ⅓ scoreless before Mark Simon was called upon to get the final 4 outs. Simon would also do his job keeping the Hawks off the board in 1 ⅓ innings. This clutch work from the pen proved to be the spark the Missoula offense needed. 

Josh Elvir would get Missoula on the comeback trail in the 7th hitting a solo home run to left center field to make the score 5-4. Elvir had another solid night at the plate in the victory finishing 2-for-3. After consecutive singles from Dondrei Hubbard, and Luis Navarro in the 8th, Keaton Greenwalt would tie things up at 5 with a sacrifice fly to center field. Navarro would finish 2-for-4 in the win and Hubbard was 1-for-3. Greenwalt currently leads the team in RBIs (78). \

The PaddleHeads (55-20) lead the Billings Mustangs by 6 games in the 2nd half standings in the Northern Division after the win Thursday night. Missoula can also clinch a series win over the Hawks (38-37) with a victory in game 4 on Friday night. Action from Allegiance Field is set to get underway at 7:05 p.m. If you cannot make it to the park for a night of action, stay locked in with all the action on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.