Hubbard Delivers Knockout Punch for Missoula After Greenwalt’s Clutch Throw
In the Knockout Round, Dondrei Hubbard cracked two home runs, which was enough to get past Dean Miller.
For the first six innings of Thursday night's contest in Kalispell, the PaddleHeads were cruising. Josh Elvir's two-run homer gave them a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, Jake Guenther added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Alfredo Villa dominated on the mound. The right-hander ran into some trouble in seven though, surrendering a sacrifice fly to Crews Taylor to lose the shutout. Dean Miller's solo homer in the eighth inning cut the Missoula lead down to one, and Glacier put two men on in the ninth inning. With two outs and two strikes, Ben Fitzgerald's shallow fly ball tipped off Greenwalt's glove, scoring Kingston Liniak with the tying run, but Greenwalt's throw home was able to cut down Taylor trying to score the winning run. In the Knockout Round, Dondrei Hubbard cracked two home runs, which was enough to get past Dean Miller. The PaddleHeads improve to 24-9 in the second half and have secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason, while Glacier is still holding on to the final playoff spot.
Rocky Mountain 8, Ogden 1: Zeglin Shines, Vibes Continue to Gain Ground in Overall Standings
In the first half of the season, the Raptors were 10.5 games better than the Vibes, but it's been an entirely different story in the second half. The Vibes defeated Ogden for the third straight game Thursday, thanks in large part to starting pitcher Nico Zeglin. The righty allowed just one run on a wild pitch and four hits, walking two and striking out six in six innings of work. Zeglin's ERA is a strong 2.89 through four appearances. Offensively, the Vibes scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth, one in the sixth, and tacked on three more in the seventh. Jake McMurray led the way with three hits and two RBIs, while Brandon Crosby, Stephen Wilmer, and Cordell Dunn Jr. all collected two hits a piece. Ryan Lavarnway caught all nine innings in his final game as a marketing player, reaching base on a hit-by-pitch. With both Grand Junction and Northern Colorado off, the Vibes now lead the second-half South Division standings by four games, and they are just 1.5 games behind Ogden in the overall standings.
Great Falls 10, Boise 3: Herron Jr.'s Big Night Powers Voyagers Past Hawks
The Voyagers took the series lead on Thursday night thanks to a huge performance from left fielder Anthony Herron Jr. The right-handed swinger got his day started with a solo home run, then chipped in an RBI single in the fifth as part of a three-run rally. In the seventh, Herron Jr. put the game way out of reach, driving in three with a bases-clearing double. He later came around to score on a wild pitch. Riley Jepson and Jaylyn Williams also contributed three-hit nights, and Casey Minchey allowed just one run in six solid innings on the mound. Great Falls is now back at .500, trailing Missoula by 7.5 games in the second-half standings.
Billings 6, Idaho Falls 1: Mustangs Win Fourth in a Row Behind Dominant Pitching
The Mustangs continued to dominate the Chukars in the third game of their series, with the Billings pitching staff racking up 14 punchouts. Ethan McRae got the start for Billings, working around four hits and four walks to allow just one run with seven strikeouts in five innings of work. Trevor Jackson was dominant in his outing, allowing just two hits without walking a batter and punching out five batters in three shutout innings. Hunter Schilperoot finished the job by tossing a perfect ninth inning, racking a pair of strikeouts. Offensively, John Michael Faile continued his power surge, cracking a solo home run and driving in another run with a single. Faile has gone deep 10 times in the month of August and is now tied for second on the team in homers. The Mustangs still sit five games back of a playoff spot.