Missoula Battles but Ultimately Falls Short in Loss to Billings

Missoula, MT.- The Missoula PaddleHeads would get behind the eight ball in the early going in the series finale opposite the Billings Mustangs on Monday night falling into a five-run hole. The PaddleHeads would fight back from the early deficit tying the game in the fourth but would never manage to jump out on top in an 8-5 defeat.

A pair of home runs from Chris Eusay, and Tristen Carranza would give the Mustangs a 5-0 advantage in the third inning. The homer would punctuate a solid series offensively for Eusay who finished with 3 home runs over the course of the six-game set.

The PaddleHeads would get some help from the long ball themselves in innings 3 and 4 cutting into the Billings lead. Luke Navigato hit a three-run blast in the third to get the PaddleHeads on the board making the score 5-3. Bryan Leef would join in on the act hitting his first professional home run in the next inning on a towering blast into left.

After a triple into right, Aaron Bond would score from home on a wild pitch to tie the game at five in the fourth. That would be the final time that the PaddleHeads would be on the board however as Billings was able to hold the line down the stretch.

Jesus Azuaje would give the Mustangs more breathing room in the eighth inning driving in a run on a single. Jalen Garcia would make the score 8-5 later in the inning on a sacrifice fly. The PaddleHeads would make things interesting in the ninth inning by putting a pair of runners on base but would but were ultimately kept off the board.

The PaddleHeads (36-15) will now hit the road for their next six-game set of games opposite the Great Falls Voyagers (20-31). Game 1 of the Series is set for Wednesday evening from Centene Stadium with first pitch slated for 7:00 p.m. The PaddleHeads fared well in games played against Great Falls in the first half finishing 5-1 against the Voyagers. Tune in to hear all the action on 102.9 ESPN Missoula.

With the PaddleHeads season now underway, our ‘Adopt A PaddleHead’ host family program is still in need of families that would potentially be in interested in housing a player or coach for the 2021 season. Families are encouraged to contact the front office at (406) 543- 3300 with any questions. To apply for our host family program please email [email protected].

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