Billings, MT - Having to play almost 16 innings of baseball tonight in Billings, the Chukars were dealt a pair of losses in differing ways. Idaho Falls was edged out by Billings in game one 3-2, but fell behind early in game two and never recovered, falling 7-2. Idaho Falls
Billings, MT - Having to play almost 16 innings of baseball tonight in Billings, the Chukars were dealt a pair of losses in differing ways. Idaho Falls was edged out by Billings in game one 3-2, but fell behind early in game two and never recovered, falling 7-2. Idaho Falls has dropped three straight and six of their last eight.
Game 1
The game resumed in the bottom of the first, with two on and nobody out for the Mustangs. Chih-Ting Wang resumed the game on the mound, and got the first three he faced to strand two runners in scoring position. Bryar Johnson came in to start the second, and allowed a leadoff homer to Leonardo Seminati on the tenth pitch of the at bat.
Idaho Falls had a great opportunity to tie the game in the sixth inning, as Rhett Aplin & Juan Carlos Negret started the frame with a single and a walk. Ismaldo Rodriguez flew out to deep right center, moving Aplin to third. Negret though stayed at first, which proved critical as Kember Nacero then grounded into an inning ending double play. The failure to score proved big, as Victor Ruiz started the next inning with a homer, extending the Billings lead to 2-0.
However, the Chukars finally came through in the top of the eighth. Idaho Falls loaded the bases with one out, thanks to singles from Brady McConnell and Aplin, along with a walk to Negret. With two out and the bases still packed, Nacero singled through the hole in the left side, tying the game at two.
Billings though retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Jose Ramirez hit Eric Yang to start the inning, and two batters later Seminati doubled to dead center, scoring Yang to put the Mustangs up 3-2. The Chukars almost tied the game in the ninth, as McConnell doubled with two out, but Francis Peguero got Clay Dungan to fly out to left to end the game.
Game 2
Idaho Falls got the game started on a positive note, as a two out double from Clay Dungan in the first inning scored on a single from Rhett Aplin. However, the Mustangs struck back with a huge bottom of the frame.
Quincy McAfee walked to start the frame, and T.J. Hopkins followed with a bloop single. James Free then walked to load the bases, and starter Cole Watts hit Reniel Ozuna to force home the tying run. Victor Ruiz then hit a ball to third that Hector Pineda booted, scoring Hopkins to give Billings the lead and moving everyone else up one base. Leonardo Seminati then punched out, but an infield single from Jonathan Willems scored Free, and a throwing error from Dungan brought Ozuna around to score, making it 4-1.
Two more scored in the second inning, as Reniel Ozuna tripled home a pair, with only one of those runs being earned.
After the first inning, Mustangs starter Miguel Medrano locked in, allowing just three hits over his last four innings. Medrano tied a career high in strikeouts with ten which he set in the DSL back in 2017. He picked up the win, allowing just one run over five innings.
Dungan and Jose Marquez each had three hits, while Derrick Adams & Austin Manning combined to allow just one run over the final four innings.
Tomorrow the Chukars send Nathan Webb to the hill against Billings at 6:35 PM. The broadcast will begin at 6:20 PM on ESPN 980 The Sports Zone and online via the TuneIn App.
