Early Inning Grand Slam The Difference in 7-5 Loss

MISSOULA, MT- The Missoula PaddleHeads would face an uphill battle right away on Thursday night in the series finale opposite the Great Falls Voyagers at Allegiance Field. Great Falls would score in each of the first 3 innings offensively to jump out to an early advantage. The PaddleHeads bullpen would buckle down after this sequence however, holding the Voyagers off the board over the course of the final 6 innings. Missoula would seemingly knock at the door offensively throughout in attempts to get back into the game. One swing from the early innings would prove to be the difference on this night however as Missoula would never quite be able to get over the hump. 

A grand slam in the 2nd inning would prove to be a huge swing for Great Falls as it would give the Voyagers a 5-run advantage at 5-0. Great Falls would only tally 2 runs the rest of the way however leaving the door open for Missoula to fight back. Thanks to a 3-run push in the 4th, the PaddleHeads would do just that cutting the Voyager lead to 3. Missoula would also see threatening spots take place in the 8th, and 9th as the PaddleHeads would put multiple runners on in both frames trailing by 3. Missoula would only manage to score 1 run down the stretch however, allowing Great Falls to hang on in the rubber match by a tally of 7-5. 

A pair of singles from Xane Washington, and Jaylen Armstrong in the 1st would get Great Falls rolling right out of bed, setting up a run scoring chance. Washington would tally the 1st run coming in on an RBI groundout to give Great Falls a lead they would never relinquish. Washington would deliver with another game-altering swing one inning later.

A trio of walks would put the Voyagers in a threatening spot in the 2nd. The PaddleHeads would see a glimmer of hope in the inning inducing a pair of outs with the bags full without anything coming in. in a 2-strike count however, Washington would get a pitch he could handle and would launch a grand slam to center field to make the score 5-0. The rookie would knock in 4 runs in the win finishing 3-for-5 Thursday.

Home run power would also get the PaddleHeads on the board in the early going in the 2nd inning thanks to McClain O'Connor. The 3rd year PaddleHead would launch a ball down the left field line for his 16th home run of the season making the score 5-1. O'Connor would have a big night in the loss finishing 2-for-2 with 2 runs scored and a pair of walks. Great Falls would come back with more offense in the next half inning however ensuring the PaddleHeads could not build on this swing. 

Giovanni DeGiacomo would bring 2 more runs in for the Voyagers in the 3rd with a base hit to left field to give Great Falls their largest lead of the night at 7-1. DeGiacomo would score a run and knock in a pair in the win as part of a 2-for-3 effort. This would be the last time the Voyagers would find the board, but would find a way to make the lead stand down the stretch. 

The PaddleHeads would start to fight back with a 3-run push in the bottom of the 4th. In his first game off the inactive list, Jared Akins would come through with a 2-run single to the left to cut the lead to 4. Ryan Cash would later score O'Connor on a single of his own to make the score 7-4. Missoula would attempt to make a push for the lead as well in the final 2 innings but would ultimately fall shy.  Cash, and Akins would both finish 1-for-4. 

Missoula would immediately put the Voyagers in a bind in the bottom of the 8tth as the PaddleHeads would load the bases with nobody out. A crucial double play in this bases loaded situation would  be a huge sequence for the Voyagers in this situation however as it would take the wind out of the sails in the inning. Missoula would tally 1 run from that series of events to trim the lead to 7-5 but would not threaten further. 

The PaddleHeads would see Dondrei Hubbard, and Patrick Chung reach base in the bottom of the 9th trailing by a pair. Both would also end up at 2nd, and 3rd base representing the tying run. A Pair of chances would go by the wayside in this situation however as Great Falls would hang on for the win. Hubbard was solid at the dish in a losing effort finishing 3-for-5. Chung would conclude the night finishing 1-for-4. 

Andrew Garcia would pitch well down the stretch for Great Falls earning a 6-out save. Garcia would not allow a run over 2 innings and would strike out a pair in the 9th with 2-runners aboard to earn his 8th save of the season. Missoula will now have to try to regain momentum in action on the road. 

The PaddleHeads (61-25) open a 6-game road trip on Friday night in their final road trip of the regular season. The first stop for the PaddleHeads on this 2 city trip will be Idaho Falls as Missoula will square off with the Chukars (30-57) at Melaleuca Field in a 3 game series. First pitch of game 1 on Friday night is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Keep track of all the action from Southern Idaho on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M.