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Missoula PaddleHeads

Chukars Force Game Three

September 16, 2015 - Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release


MISSOULA, MONT. - The Idaho Falls Chukars (1-1) took advantage of a pair of costly errors charged to the Missoula Osprey (1-1) en route to claiming a 5-3 victory and evening the best-of-three Pioneer League Championship Series on Tuesday night from Ogren Park Allegiance Field.

All five Chukars runs were unearned, with the big blow coming on a three-run homer from Amalani Fukofuka to cap a four-run fifth inning that handed Idaho Falls the lead.

Missoula jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings, scoring twice in the first and once in the second. Raymel Flores led off with a walk before Jason Morozowski lined a double into right centerfield to bring home the first run. An error charged to first baseman Josh Banuelos allowed the second run of the inning to plate, as the Osprey took a 2-0 lead into the second. Francis Christy took it upon himself to make it 3-0, belting his second homer of the postseason out to right centerfield.

Unfortunately, right-hander Derek Gordon settled down from there, allowing just one more baserunner through two out in the seventh. Gordon earned the victory for Idaho Falls, dealing 6.2 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on just three hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts. Drew Milligan replaced Gordon in the seventh and struck out Christy before Josh Staumont took over in the eighth with the score at 5-3. Staumont retired the side in order in the eighth, as Idaho Falls set down 19 of 20 hitters after the homer from Christy.

Cameron Smith took the loss after allowing four unearned runs on five hits and a walk over 5.0 innings. The lefty was cruising into the fifth inning, but he hit a two-out snag that left him tagged with four unearned runs. An error charged to Kal Simmons at third allowed the leadoff man to reach, but Missoula retired the next hitter on a fielder's choice for the first out. A fly ball down the right field line served as the second out, and without the error, would have ended the inning, but instead the frame continued for Cody Jones. Jones singled in front of an RBI-single from DJ Burt that cut the lead to 3-1 and brought Fukofuka to the plate. The right-hand hitter fell behind 0-2, but got a breaking ball from Smith and deposited it over the wall in left for what proved to be a game-winning three-run homer.

Idaho Falls tacked on another unearned run in the eighth as a two-out error from Isan Diaz kept the inning alive for an RBI-double from Brandon Dulin off of Gabriel Moya.

Missoula managed to make things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, putting the tying runs aboard and bringing the winning run to the plate, but Staumont struck out Matt Railey and induced a shallow pop up off the bat of Joey Armstrong to seal the victory.

The final game of the 2015 season will be played tomorrow at 7:05 pm MT at Ogren Park Allegiance Field as the winner of the contest will be crowned Pioneer League Champions.

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