Owlz Erase Deficit, Shock Vibes in Knockout Round
Dusty Stroup smacked three home runs in his turn at the plate, but Dave Matthews was up to the task for the Owlz, cranking four home runs to win his second knockout round of the year.
Early in Tuesday night's contest, the Rocky Mountain Vibes dominated the Northern Colorado pitching staff. They put up four runs in the top of the first inning, and after the Owlz got one back, Stephen Wilmer cracked a three-run homer to put the Vibes up 7-1. The Owlz chipped away though, and solo home runs by Tim Bouchard and Dave Matthews cut the Rocky Mountain lead down to 7-5 in the fifth inning. Henry George singled in a run to cut the Rocky Mountain lead to 7-6, but after Chris Macca retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth, Northern Colorado's comeback chances looked bleak. The Owlz lineup had other plans though – Abdel Guadalupe doubled, Danny Perez worked a walk, and Payton Robertson singled home the tying run, which sent the game into a knockout round. Dusty Stroup smacked three home runs in his turn at the plate, but Dave Matthews was up to the task for the Owlz, cranking four home runs to win his second knockout round of the year.
Missoula 8, Ogden 7, KO1: PaddleHeads Get Last Laugh in Knockout Round After Raptors' Late Rally
In a battle of first-place clubs, the Raptors struck first on Tuesday night on a Dakota Conners sacrifice fly. However, the PaddleHeads answered with a five-run fourth inning, featuring an RBI single from Dondrei Hubbard, a two-run single by Cody Thompson, and a two-run homer off the bat of Austin Bernard. Ogden drew closer on a solo homer by Logan Williams and an RBI single from Damian Henderson in the seventh inning, but Missoula responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The Raptors fought back again though, with Reese Alexiades hitting his league-leading 17th home run of the year. In the top of the ninth, the Raptors loaded the bases on two walks and a fielder's choice, and Nick Ultsch drove in a run with a single. Cam Phelts beat out a potential game-ending double play, bringing Henderson home with the tying run. Dan Kubiuk tossed a scoreless bottom of the ninth to send the game to a knockout round. However, Keaton Greenwalt needed just one home run to defeat Henderson, giving Missoula the victory.
Glacier 5, Billings 3: Range Riders Use Homers, Bullpen to Extend Win Streak to Double Digits
The Glacier Range Riders finished the first half as the hottest team in the PBL, having won their last nine games 12 of their last 14. In their series opener against Billings though, they fell behind early on a Connor Denning two-run double and a solo home run by Mitch Moralez. The Glacier got going in the third inning, with Dean Miller drawing them a little closer with an RBI single. In the fourth, Benjamin Fitzgerald and Mason Dinesen hit solo homers, evening the game at three. Kingston Liniak put Glacier ahead with a solo homer of his own in the sixth. Nick Zegna retired the last seven batters he faced, and Noah Barros tossed two scoreless innings, and Michael YaSenka and Justin Coleman each threw a scoreless inning to secure the win. The Range Riders have now won 10 games in a row, matching Missoula for the longest streak this season.
Great Falls 8, Boise 6: Voyagers Take Advantage of Boise Mistakes, Rally Late for Win
It was a back-and-forth affair in Boise on Tuesday night, as Great Falls scored first on a Christian Coipel sacrifice fly, but the Hawks scored twice in the bottom of the third inning. After the Hawks tacked on another run on a passed ball, the Voyagers scored three times to take the lead in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Riley Jepson and sacrifice flies by Collin Runge and Jaylyn Williams. The Hawks answered by scoring three runs of their own in the sixth inning on Derek Maiben's RBI ground out and RBI knocks from D.J. Poteet and Anthony Walters. The Voyagers were able to tie the game though when two runs scored on a throwing error in the top of the seventh. Anthony Herron Jr. gave the Voyagers the lead again with an RBI groundout. Eddie McCabe added an insurance run with an RBI double in the top of the ninth, and Andrew Garcia struck out two in a clean ninth inning to earn the save.
Grand Junction 20, Idaho Falls 13: Jackalopes Collect 18 Hits, Outslug Chukars
The Jackalopes jumped all over the Idaho Falls pitching staff, scoring four runs in the first inning and seven more in the third – highlighted by a three-run homer by Ron Washington Jr. and a bases-clearing triple by Joe Johnson. The Chukars took a bite out of the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, with Edouardo Acosta capping off a five-run rally with a three-run homer. Grand Junction got those runs right back though, as Colin Gordon hit a grand slam to put an exclamation point on a five-run fifth inning. Idaho Falls scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, including a three-run homer from C.J. Dunn, but it wasn't nearly enough to bring Idaho Falls even within striking distance. The Jackalopes tacked on four runs in the ninth inning for good measure, scoring 20 runs in a game for the fourth time this season.