Moralez Delivers in Extras, Sends Mustangs to Championship Series in Instant Classic

For the first time since 2019, the PBL Championship Series will not feature the Missoula PaddleHeads. In a game that featured many twists and turns, the Billings Mustangs emerged victorious in 12 innings, advancing to their first Championship Series since 2016. 

Billings fired the opening salvo, with Taylor Lomack drawing a lead-off walk and coming around to score on Alejandro Figueredo's RBI single. Missoula answered right back when Dondrei Hubbard drilled an opposite-field home run in the bottom of the inning. The Mustangs responded in following frame when Blake Evans cracked a solo homer of his own over the right-field fence. Missoula got two men on in the bottom of the third inning, and Josh Elvir evened the score with a sacrifice fly. Billings took the lead back in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Moralez, scoring Brendan Ryan. The Mustangs added some distance to their lead in the fifth inning when Figueredo smacked a three-run homer down the left-field line.  

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Missoula chipped away at their deficit. They got the first two men on in the inning before Hubbard scored on a wild pitch. After a Luis Navarro single, Jakob Guenther drove home Elvir with a fielder's choice grounder. Another wild pitch allowed Guenther to move up to second base, and Keaton Greenwalt drove him home with a single to cut the deficit to one. Billings threatened in the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out, but Mark Simon struck out Bryce Donovan and Evans to escape the threat. Simon tossed a scoreless ninth inning to keep the game within an arm's reach with three outs to play.  

Leading off the bottom of the ninth, Austin Bernard hit a line drive that tipped off Gabe Wurtz's glove, but Bernard was thrown out at third base trying to stretch a double into a triple. After McClain O'Connor walked, Cameron Thompson lined a double into the right-field corner, bringing O'Connor home with the tying run, though Thompson too was thrown out trying to take third base. Ryan Cash followed with a single, but Trevor Jackson got Hubbard to fly out to send the game to extra innings. 

The 10th inning began with Figueredo working a walk and being removed for pinch-runner Alex Canty. Simon retired the next two batters and got Moralez in a two-strike count, but Moralez lined a double down the first-base line, bringing home Canty with the go-ahead run. In the bottom of the frame, Elvir led off with a walk before being removed for pinch-runner Jared Akins. Much like Simon did, Hunter Schilperoort retired the next two batters, then had Greenwalt down to his last strike, but the 25-year-old lined a single up the middle to score Akins with the tying run. Schilperoort then struck out Bernard to extend the contest. 

In the 11th, Missoula turned to Triple Crown winner Alfredo Villa for his first relief appearance of the season, and he struck out two batters in a clean inning of work. Schilperoort followed with the same line in the bottom of the inning, sending the game to a 12th inning. Villa ran into trouble, walking Figueredo before Ryan singled for his fourth hit of the night. The right-hander got Luke Fennelly to ground into a force-out, with Thompson stepping third to retire the lead runner. Moralez then stepped in and hit another grounder toward Thompson, but this one took a bad hop and skipped right over Thompson's head, allowing Ryan to score the go-ahead run.  

The PaddleHeads weren't going to go down without a fight, however. Hubbard led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Akins struck out, Navarro lined a single into right field, but Fennelly's relay throw home nailed Hubbard at home plate trying to score the tying run, putting Billings one out away from victory. Billy Horton summoned Ethan McRae from the bullpen, who got Guenther to ground out to Figueredo to secure the series.

"That was the craziest game I've ever been a part of," Horton said after the game.

The Mustangs will meet the Raptors in the Championship Series beginning in Ogden on Saturday night at 6:30.