Mustangs Swept by Missoula in Monday Doubleheader

BILLINGS-The Billings Mustangs woes against the Missoula Paddleheads continued as Missoula swept a doubleheader on Monday at Dehler Park, 4-2 and 9-3.

The Mustangs (7-8) couldn't hold a lead in game one and trailed the entirety of game two as they fell to 0-8 against Missoula (11-6) this season.

The Mustangs took an early lead in the opener, as Missoula starter Domingo Pena hit Crews Taylor and Jalen Garcia to open the inning, then walked Jackson Raper, loading the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Nick Ultsch rolled a ground ball to second which scored Taylor, giving Billings a 1-0 lead.

The game then settled into a pitcher's duel. Darrien Ragins struck out the side in the first and retired the first six Paddleheads. Missoula put two on in both the third and fourth innings, but Ragins escaped both situations unscathed.

On the other side, Pena worked around a pair of baserunners in the third and surrendered a one-out triple in the fourth but wiggled out of trouble with two strikeouts to keep the score 1-0.

Missoula finally broke through against Ragins in the sixth. With one out, Lamar Sparks singled to left. Nick Gatewood followed by depositing a 2-0 pitch over the right field wall. The homer chased Ragins, who gave way to Al Pesto.

In the seventh. Pesto allowed a one-out single, then with two outs, McClain O'Connor crushed a two-run homer over the left-field wall, increasing the Paddlehead lead to 4-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, the first two Mustangs went down against Sam Hellinger, but Jalen Garcia tripled, Jackson Raper singled him home, and Gabe Wurtz singled to put the tying run on base, but Ultsch grounded out to end the game, as the Mustangs dropped game one 4-2.

In game two, both offenses arrived early.

Billings starter Kelvan Pilot struggled in the top of the first, walking the bases loaded with no outs. After a strikeout, Lamar Sparks lined a two-run single to put Missoula on the board. Jared Akins then followed with a three-run homer off the right-field wall, staking Missoula to an 5-0 lead.

The Mustangs, though, had an immediate answer. Two singles put runners on the corners with two down for Brian Parriera, who turned on an 0-2 fastball from Missoula starter Mark Timmons and pulled it over the right field wall for a three-run homer, trimming the deficit to 5-3.

However, the Paddleheads put the clamps down on the Billings offense before proceeding to expand the lead back out. Three straight hits in the third brought in a run, before Missoula restored the five-run cushion with a two-run single from Gatewood in the fourth.

The Paddleheads finished off the scoring by stringing together three two-out singles in the fifth to go ahead 9-3. The Mustangs recorded just one hit in the final four hits as they fell in both ends of the doubleheader.

RHP Yasnier Laureano (1-1, 2.38) gets the ball for the Mustangs on Tuesday with Glacier's starter is still to be determined. Pregame tomorrow night will begin at 6:40 p.m. on ESPN 910/105.5 with Brennan Mense on the call ahead of a 7:00 first pitch in Kalispell.