Chukars out slug PaddleHeads to even series
The Chukars rallied late to snap their losing streak and defeat the Missoula PaddleHeads 13-11 on Saturday night.
Chukars out slug PaddleHeads to even series
Will Vasseur
Idaho Falls, Idaho– The Chukars rallied late to snap their losing streak and defeat the Missoula PaddleHeads 13-11 on Saturday night.
Saturday’s matchup saw Jack Dicenso take the mound for Idaho Falls, squaring off against Izzy Fuentes, who started for the PaddleHeads.
Idaho Falls got the scoring started in the top of the first inning when Michael Kohn knocked an RBI single to score Bryce Brown and give the Chukars a 1-0 lead.
Missoula answered back in the bottom of the first, thanks to RBIs from Keaton Greenwalt, Jared Atkins and Donbrei Hubbard, giving the PaddleHeads a 3-1 lead.
The Chukars responded with a run in the second inning, thanks to Zach May’s sixth home run of the season.
In the top of the third inning, Rob Paller and Mark Herron Jr. catapulted back-to-back home runs to give the Chukars a 6-3.
It was Missoula’s turn to score in the bottom of the third inning, as they responded with four runs of their own, to take a 7-6 lead.
The PaddleHeads added on an extra run in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to Jakob Guenther’s second RBI of the game, giving his team an 8-6 lead.
Idaho Falls evened the score in the top of the fifth inning, thanks to a two-run home run to left field, off the bat of Trevor Halsema.
Missoula jumped back on top in the sixth inning, with a three-run inning that was capped off by an RBI single from Hubbard, giving them an 11-8 lead.
After Tyler Wyatt scored a run in the top of the seventh for the Chukars, the stage was set for a dramatic eighth inning for the Chukars.
In the inning, Kohn came to the plate with the bases loaded, and two outs, and belted a grand slam on a 3-2 pitch for his second home run of the season, giving the Chukars a 13-11 lead.
Brian Williams came in to attempt a six-out save for the Chukars, and went six up- six down, to secure a 13-11 victory for Idaho Falls.
Jacob Bogacz collected the win in relief for the Chukars. While Cody Thompson suffered the loss for the PaddleHeads.
With the win, Idaho Falls snapped their four-game losing streak, moving to 12-17 on the year.
The Chukars will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they will face off against the Missoula PaddleHeads for the final game of their three-game series.