Missoula, Ogden Clinch First-Half Division Titles

Paddleheads 15, Voyagers 5: Missoula Clinches North Division for Record Fifth Straight Half 

History was made in Great Falls last night, as the Missoula PaddleHeads clinched their fifth straight division championship and playoff spot, tying a Pioneer League record. The PaddleHeads did so in a convincing fashion as well, routing the Voyagers 15-5. Missoula scored in six straight innings and tacked one on in the ninth for good measure. Ryan Cash and Jakob Guenther hit a solo shot each, that being Cash's first home run as a PaddleHead. After the Voyagers took the lead with Jaylyn Williams and Eddie McCabe batting in a few and another on a wild pitch, the PaddleHeads turned it up to 11, scoring three in the second and four in the fifth on the backs of Guenther and Cash, who batted in eight of Missoula's runs. Missoula's 33 wins are a league-high, solidifying them as the leaders of the North Division. 

Raptors 11, Vibes 9: Ogden Splits Doubleheader to Secure First Half Championship 

After the dust settled in a doubleheader in Ogden, the Raptors clinched their third straight mid-season South Division championship by splitting the action against the Vibes. The first game of the doubleheader was resumed from an earlier game that was delayed due to rain, and the Vibes continued where they left off. Jake McMurray and Brett Carson batted in a couple of runs each, scoring six runs against Foster Pace of the Raptors. Peyton Long was the starter for the delayed game, and he picked up the second, delayed half and pitched a full nine innings, striking out four and only allowing a single run in the first half of the game. However, the second game of the night belonged to the Raptors, who scored in every inning but the sixth in the seven-inning contest. Cameron Phelts was a double short of the cycle, hitting a two-run moonshot in the first, tripling two teammates home in the second, and singling in the third to get Rafael Narea across the plate. Phelts batted in five runs, with Reese Alexiades hitting his league-leading 16th home run, and Dane Tofteland also batting in multiple runs.  

Jackalopes 22, Owlz 7: Grand Junction Puts on Offensive Clinic to Rout the Owlz 

In the blink of an eye, a close match turned into a blowout in Grand Junction, where the Jackalopes defeated the Owlz 22-7, a tie for the second largest margin of victory this season. The Jackalopes started with two runs from Jaylen Hubbard and Matt Wong, and after the Owlz equalized in the fourth and fifth innings from Danny Perez and Dave Matthews, the dam broke open for Grand Junction. A monster 15-run inning is the highest-scoring inning from any team this season, and everyone had a chance to drive in a run. It started with Jaylen Hubbard and Jacob Cruce hitting back-to-back home runs, then Colin Gordon hitting a two-run blast of his own only two batters later. Cruce hit another two-run homer when he came back around, and after a walk and two straight hit batsmen from the Owlz, Cruce drove an RBI single to secure his third RBI hit of the inning. The nightmare inning finally ended for the Owlz, and despite efforts to chip away at the lead from another Perez home run, Ethan Smith and Jaylen Hubbard drove in an extra five runs in the eighth to remove any doubt. The Jackalopes climb above the Vibes in the standings and are only a game and a half behind Northern Colorado. 

Range Riders 7, Chukars 2: Glacier's Bullpen Silences Idaho Falls in Sixth Straight Victory 

In their climb up the North Division standings, the Glacier Range Riders defeated the Idaho Falls Chukars to secure their sixth straight win. Pitcher Jack White struck out seven in five innings, allowing five hits and only two runs, one unearned. Cameron Repetti picked up where White left off, pitching three shutout innings, and finishing with Justin Coleman, a great outing for the Glacier bullpen. On offense, the night started with Anthony Frechette scoring first for the Chukars on a sacrifice fly, but the Range Riders were quick to respond with a groundout RBI from Jackson Raper. However, the biggest highlight came from Dean Miller, who doubled Raper across the plate in the bottom of the sixth but continued running after a throwing error from Frechette allowed Miller to score on a Little League inside-the-park home run. To solidify the lead, the Range Riders scored four in the eighth, including a double steal from Miller and Raper.  

Mustangs 7, Hawks 2: Gabe Wurtz Outscores Boise in Billings Road Win 

The Mustangs picked up their first win of the series against Boise last night with a 7-2 victory. Billings broke through early by scoring all seven of their runs before the Hawks could even get on the board, delivering back-to-back three-run innings in the top of the first and second. Gabe Wurtz started with a two-run homer to bring Connor Denning home, allowing Mitch Moralez to get a solo shot of his own. The order came back to Denning, who after a two-RBI single, got home a second time from Wurtz. Sam Olsson finally batted in a run for the Hawks, but Billings pitcher Pat Maybach stranded six batters in his seven innings pitched, striking out six and only allowing two runs, one earned.