Pitcher's Duel Results in 6-0 Mustang Loss

Nearly 2,800 fans witnessed a pitcher's duel for four plus innings before the Missoula Paddleheads cracked a five-spot on the board in the fifth inning to beat the Mustangs 6-0. 

Starting right-hander Karan Patel (1-2) faced four or less batters four out of his five innings, including a 1-2-3 top of the third. Into the fifth, Patel struck out three batters in a row. 

In the fifth, designated hitter Jacob Kline hit a fastball over the left-field wall to give the Paddleheads a 1-0 lead. Shortstop McLain O'Connor followed the act on the next pitch, digging another fastball low in the zone and driving it to the right-field wall to make it 2-0. 

Paddleheads picked up three more runs on RBI singles from Dondrei Hubbard and Jake Guenther, plus a fielder's choice RBI for Jacob Kline to make it 5-0. 

Patel's final line - five innings giving up five runs on nine hits, a walk with four punchouts. 

Missoula starting left–-hander Zach Penrod tossed a quality start, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high 13 hitters over seven innings of work. 

Mustang right-hander McLain Harris tossed three scoreless innings in relief for Patel, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out three hitters. Right-hander Keagan McGinnis gave up an RBI single to catcher Luis Navarro, but also struck out the side in the top of the ninth. 

Missoula right-hander John LaRossa tossed two scoreless innings giving up just one hit. 

The Mustangs start game two earlier than usual for the Fourth of July holiday. Pre-game coverage starts at 3:45 with first pitch at 4:05 p.m. on ESPN 910/105.5 FM or espn910.com. You can also watch every pitch on FloSports.