Voyagers Blast Off in Style!
It was the first time the Voyagers took the field in their new red road uniforms. By all accounts the debut was a smashing success.
Jesus Avila's one-out double in the first inning provided the first hit of the season. Johny Celis singled him home moments later and Skogley had the only run he would need.
Skogley, a 12th-round pick in the 2007 draft out of UNLV, displayed a popping fastball and excellent breaking pitch.
Thennis, a first baseman from Texas Tech, crashed a two-run homer in the fourth. Escobar added a solo shot in the fifth.
The 6-6 Skogly threw 80 pitches and allowed four hits in his seven-inning stint.
The Great Falls defense provided several web gems, including around-the-horn double plays that ended both the third and fifth innings. In both instances, third baseman Avila showed soft hands and second baseman Oney Guillen displayed a lightning-quick turn at the bag. Guillen is the son of Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.
In the eighth, the Voyagers added three runs, a rally that included Jordan Cheatham's two-run single. Cheatham, a 43rd-round pick in the 2007 draft out of Wabash (Ind.) College, added a run-scoring single as the Voyagers poured it on with two more runs in the ninth.
Cheatham finished 3-for-5 for Great Falls. Avila and Celis each had two hits.
The three left-handed hitters enjoyed success against Helena southpaw pitcher Efrain Nieves, consistently taking the ball to the opposite field.
It was a fine follow-up for a Great Falls club that played so well for Cron last summer. The last time the team visited Kindrick-Legion, during the Northern Division championship, two playoff victories put the then-White Sox into the Championship round.
The Voyagers will send righthander Frank Rosario to the mound tonight against Helena's Evan Frederickson, a first-round draft pick out of San Francisco in the recent amateur draft.
Great Falls opens their home season Friday night at Centene Stadium, as fans celebrate Howard's Pizza Magnet Night.