Missoula and Grand Junction Set to Face Off in Championship Series

Missoula and Grand Junction Set to Face Off in Championship Series

After two hard-fought, three-game series, the Missoula Paddleheads and Grand Junction Rockies will battle for the PBL crown beginning tomorrow evening. Missoula looks to defend their title, while Grand Junction is seeking their first in the independent-league era. The Paddleheads began their series in Billings with a bang, as Brandon Riley led off the series opener with a solo homer off Kenny Serwa. Missoula never surrendered their lead, as Jared Akins homered and drove in three, and Domingo Peña tossed six innings of two-run ball in a 6-2 victory.

Back in Missoula though, games 2 and 3 were far more tense. The Paddleheads trailed 4-1 before a Keaton Greenwalt homer and a Jayson Newman two-run double evened the score, and Kameron Willman’s RBI single gave them a 5-4 lead. However, the Mustangs answered with an RBI single from Abraham Mow and another RBI single from Crews Taylor to send the series to a decisive game 3. Missoula got off to a fast start in game 3, with Newman cracking a two-run homer off Kelvan Pilot and Cameron Thomspon adding an RBI single in the third. Austen Seidel allowed two solo homers, but those were the only base runners Billings managed against him in seven innings. After Dan Swain tossed a scoreless eighth, Willman knocked an RBI triple to extend the lead. Mark Simon sealed the series by striking out Juan Teixeira representing the tying run.

Grand Junction’s offense attacked Ogden for a pair of four-run frames in game 1. In the second inning, Jaylen Hubbard smacked a two-run homer, and Joe Johnson added a two-run double. In the fourth, Nico Popa hit an RBI single and Jake Cruce mashed a three-run homer to extend the lead to 8-0. After Ogden scored four of their own in the top of the fifth, the Rockies’ offense responded. Johnson hit an RBI double, and the hot-hitting Cruce crushed his second homer of the game, this time a grand slam. Josh Agnew battled through five innings, allowing four runs (one earned) with six strikeouts, and Ian Kahaloa struck out the side to seal a 13-5 victory. Back in Ogden, the Rockies couldn’t stop the Raptors’ offense in game 2. After rallying to tie the game 6-6, homers by Alejandro Rivero and Sonny Ullian put Ogden ahead and Grand Junction couldn’t answer in a 10-6 defeat.

In game 3, things seemed to be headed in a similar direction, with Ogden leading 4-1 heading into the seventh inning. Grand Junction fought back with a parade of singles though, with Josh Elvir and Johnson both hitting two-run singles, and Cruce adding an RBI single of his own. The Rockies tacked on two more in the eighth thanks to a passed ball followed by a sac fly from Tyler Sandoval. The Raptors staged a bit of rally though, scoring a run on a Jaylen Hubbard
error, which forced Bobby Jenks to summon Trevin Reynolds for four-out save. In the ninth inning, Ogden got two men on to bring the tying run to the plate, but Reynolds induced a fly out from Dakota Connors to end the series.

Due to prior commitments at Suplizio Field, all three games in this series will be played in Missoula, with Grand Junction playing as the home team in game 1. Commissioner Jim McCurdy will be on hand to present the Bob Wilson to the league champions after game 2 or 3.