Brewers Win Wild 13 Inning Marathon
When Dionis Hinojosa scored the winning run at 1:16 a.m. it was finally over. Six hours and nine minutes after the game started, the Helena Brewers defeated the Missoula Osprey, 5-4, in the bottom of the 13th on a walk-off sac fly by Omar Garcia (above).
It was a game in which easily could have gotten away from Helena.
The Brewers thought they had won in the sixth inning when a rain delay halted the game for an hour and forty-three minutes. But Missoula wanted to play on and it proved to be a smart call as the Osprey rallied for two in the ninth inning to send the game into extras.
But in the end, Helena battled and came away victorious.
With the score tied at four in the bottom of the 13th, Jose Pena led off with a single. Angel Ortega then faked a bunt and pulled a single past the drawn in third baseman. An error moved the pinch runner Hinojosa to third and Ortega to second.
Jalen Harris would then strikeout and Nathan Orf walked to load the bases for Garcia.
On a 2-2 pitch Garcia hit a shallow fly to right. Hinojosa tagged and the throw by the right fielder Yorman Garcia beat the runner, but when Jose Queliz tried to tag Hinojosa, the ball fell out of his glove and the Brewers had won the ballgame.
It almost didn't get to that point. The Osprey had to rally in the ninth scoring on a ground out and a wild pitch by Andy Hillis.
Four innings later the Brewers found a way to win their longest game of the season in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Long before in the seven o'clock hour, Helena starter Anthony Banda was terrific as he stuck out the first four batters he faced. He retired six of the first seven batters of the game.
Banda tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth but that would be his final frame, to no fault of his own.
Rain had been falling all night and in the bottom of the fourth the umpires called the tarp onto the field and once the delay was over, Banda was pulled from the game.
He allowed just two hits in four innings while striking out five.
The Brewers offense took an early lead in the first inning. With one out, Charlie Markson and Michael Ratterree hit back-to-back singles and were moved into scoring position on a groundout by Adam Giacalone. Michael Turay would follow by hitting a grounder to short that Jake Miller backhanded but his throw to first was wild allowing Markson and Ratterree to score.
Helena would pick up another run in the third. With Adam Giacalone on first and Markson on third, Giacalone attempted to steal second and when the throw went to second, Markson broke home and scored. Giacalone was safe at second when the throw went into centerfield.
The rain had been falling all game and in the bottom of the fourth the umpires called the tarp onto the field for the first time.
Once the first delay of the game was over, the Osprey took advantage of the new Helena pitcher Trevor Seidenberger in the fifth as Stryker Trahan hit a leadoff double and scored on a double by Yorman Garcia.
Antonio Alvarez would follow by hitting a bullet to first in which Adam Giacalone dove to his right and tried to flip the ball to Seidenberger, but he couldn't catch the it as Garcia ended up scoring.
The Brewers would get a run back in the fifth when Nathan Orf walked, advanced second on a bunt, and scored when a groundball off the bat of Markson went right through the five-hole of Miller at short. It was his third error of the game.
In the top of the sixth the Osprey loaded the bases but Seidenberger struck out Miller to end the inning.
Just minutes later, a lightning strike was a little too close for comfort and the umpires called the players off the field and out came the tarp yet again.
At one point it looked like the game was going to be called as both teams returned to their respective clubhouses, but Missoula Osprey manager Robby Hammock wanted to continue and the terrific Helena grounds crew got the field ready to go.
One hour and forty-three minutes after the delay started, play resumed and to credit the Osprey, they wanted to play and made a game of it.
But in the long run, all the resumption of play did was prolong what would be a Helena sweep.