Billings Takes Down Missoula 8-3

BILLINGS, Mont. - An early seesaw game saw the host Billings Mustangs churn out four runs in the eighth inning to pull away to an 8-3 win over the Missoula Osprey at Dehler Park. Missoula (15-21) smacked eleven hits in the loss, including a first inning single by Justin Williams to push his hitting streak to eighteen games. 

B.J. Lopez opened up the scoring in the second inning with a single to bring home Trevor Mitsui, who doubled to lead off the inning. 

Billings (16-20) brought in two in the third inning thanks to an Alex Blandino double to centerfield off starter Gabriel Moya. Moya would surrender two more runs in the game, one in the fourth off an Alex Greer double and a fifth inning home run by Ty Washington to fall to 2-2 on the year. Moya allowed seven hits and one walk with a pair of strikeouts.

Missoula would post two runs of its own in the top of the fourth inning with a Sergio Alcantara single and Fernery Ozuna sacrifice fly. 

Derek Cape entered in relief of Moya in the fifth inning and held the deficit to a single run with 2.2 scoreless innings and four strikeouts.

However Billings would rough up Brody Greer in the eighth by sending ten men to the plate and producing four runs of two walks and two hits.

Ty Sterner got the win in relief to move to 1-0 on the year with a hit and a walk in 1.2 innings. Brennan Bernardino received his third save for the Mustangs with a shutout eighth and ninth innings against the Osprey. 

Missoula finishes its two-game set tomorrow night at Dehler Park against the Billings Mustangs. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Tickets for all Osprey games are available at the MSO Hub Box Office, by phone at (406) 543-3300 and online at MissoulaOsprey.com.