Voyagers Outlast Grand Junction to Level Series

Great Falls, MT-The Voyagers scored twice in the eighth to help polish off a seesaw affair that featured several mood swings in a 9-8 victory over Grand Junction Friday night at Centene Stadium.

Great Falls (4-7, 19-29) stamped out a season-high seven-game losing streak, and improved to 3-3 against Grand Junction in the season series. The Voyagers are 11-12 at home, and sit at 5-5 against the South Division. The Rockies (7-4, 26-23) dropped to 11-11 on the road. They are 6-4 against the North.
Grand Junction opened the night with a two-run top of the first. Julio Carreras tripled to lead off the game and scored on an RBI double by Cristopher Navarro. Navarro later scored from third on a wild pitch. Great Falls plated its first run of the game in the bottom of the first with a solo home run blasted deep to right-center off the bat of Luis Curbelo. It was Curbelo's fifth big fly of the season.
Both teams plated runs again in the third. The Rockies made it 3-1 after Julio Carreras reached base with a one-out triple and then scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Cristopher Navarro. The Voyagers took their first lead of the series as they sent eight men to the plate in a four-run home half. The two-out rally was started by Caberea Weaver's line-drive single to right-center. Luis Curbelo reached on a throwing error. Harvin Mendoza loaded the bases with an infield single to short. Lency Delgado tied the game with a two-run double lined up the right field side. Luis Mieses then gave Great Falls a 5-3 lead with a two-run single into shallow center.
The Voyagers extended the lead to 7-3 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Anderson Comas and Kelvin Maldonado both reached base with one-out singles. Caberea Weaver drove both runners in with a double lined into the left field corner. The Rockies promptly tied the game at 7-7 with a four-run top of the fifth. A dropped third strike allowed Reese Berberet to reach base and move all the way to third on a catcher's throwing error. An RBI groundout from Ronaiker Palma brought in a run. Christian Koss also had an RBI single, and Colin Simpson drove in a run with a double to the wall in right-center.
Grand Junction reclaimed a one-run lead at 8-7 with a tally in the top of the seventh. Cristopher Navarro led off the frame with a single to left. He scored on a two-out double to the wall in left by Brenton Doyle.
Great Falls came through in the clutch with a dramatic two-run bottom of the eighth for the game's final runs. Anderson Comas led off with a triple driven to the gap in deep right-center. With one out, Caberea Weaver tied the game with an RBI single lined into right-center. Weaver later stole second, and Harvin Mendoza delivered the go-ahead, two-out RBI single ripped into center off the second baseman.
Five Voyagers produced multi-hit games, led by Caberea Weaver and Luis Mieses. Weaver and Mieses both went 3-for-4. Weaver had three RBIs and two runs scored. Mieses drove in two. Cristopher Navarro finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs for the Rockies. Julio Carreras collected three hits and three runs.  
Nate Pawelczyk picked up his first win as a professional in relief. Pawelczyk (1-0) worked the final two innings and gave up just one hit with one strikeout. Jacob Kostyshock took the loss. Kostyshock (1-1) went one-and-a-third in relief and surrendered two earned runs on three hits with one strikeout.
Great Falls plays game three of four against Grand Junction Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. The eight-game home stand runs through next Thursday. For season tickets and promotional information, call 406-452-5311 or visit www.gfvoyagers.com.