Four Homers Are Not Enough in Loss to Kick off Roadtrip
May 28, 2025 - Pioneer League (PL)
Billings Mustangs News Release
The offense came alive for the Billings Mustangs (2-5) on Tuesday night with four home runs, but it was not enough as they fell to the Idaho Falls Chukars (6-1) by a score of 13-12 to kick off their twelve-game road trip.
The Mustangs struck immediately as A.J. Shaver led off the ball game with a solo home run to left field and then Tyler Shelnut added another run later in the inning with an RBI double.
Jack O'Dowd made it a 3-0 game when he led off the second inning with a solo shot of his own, but the Idaho Falls offense came to life after that.
Jacob Jablonski smacked an opposite-field, two-run homer to left to cut the lead to one and the Chukars then took the lead with three runs on five hits in the third inning.
Another run in the fourth inning made it six unanswered for the Chukars as they took a 6-3 lead into the fifth inning. That's when the Mustangs roared back with four runs, including a sacrifice fly by Shelnut and a go-ahead two-run double by Cameron Bowen to move ahead 7-6.
The Chukars offense was not finished, however, as they scored in a fourth consecutive inning in the bottom of the fifth. It looked for a moment like the Mustangs were going to get out of the inning without any runs scoring when Thomas McCaffrey hit a grounder to Bowen at short for a potential inning-ending double play. It was not meant to be, though, as the throw from Evan Berkey to first was off target and allowed two runs to come home and opened the floodgates to a five-run inning to give the Chukars an 11-7 lead.
The Mustangs chipped away from there with a two-run homer from Shaver in the sixth for his second of the game and a solo shot from Patrick Mills in the seventh to draw within one.
Idaho Falls would stretch the lead once again with a run in the seventh and another in the eighth to make it a 13-10 game going into the ninth.
The Mustangs would not go down without a fight as Dylan Leach led off with a double down the right field line and then after a Shelnut groundout moved Leach to third, Mills was hit by a pitch and Bowen walked on four pitches to load the bases.
Idaho Falls manager Troy Percival then made a pitching change and brought in Reed Garland, but Jack O'Dowd hit an RBI single on a full count offering and then Evan Berkey drew a bases loaded walk on four pitches to make it a 13-12 score with the tying run on third base and only one out.
The Mustangs looked to have the momentum in their favor as they were ready to break the hearts of the home crowd in the first home game of the year for Idaho Falls, but the fans would end up going home happy.
Cameron Bowen, representing the tying run, took an aggressive secondary lead off third base to try and have an advantage on any ball that got away, but catcher Thomas McCaffrey threw down to third and picked Bowen off for a huge second out of the inning. Zane Denton then grounded out to second to end the game.
Shane Spencer (1-1) suffered the loss for the Mustangs, while Gary Grosjean (2-0) earned the win and Garland (1) picked up the save.
The Mustangs will try to snap their three-game skid on Wednesday night against the Chukars as they send Ethan Ross (0-1) to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm MT.
Pioneer League Stories from May 28, 2025
- High Scoring Affair Sees Chuks Win Home Opener - Idaho Falls Chukars
- Beard, Cooper Come up Clutch Late for Win over Missoula - Glacier Range Riders
- Ballers outlast Jackalopes - Grand Junction Jackalopes
- Ballers Come Back to Beat Jackalopes in Opener - Oakland Ballers
- Range Riders Hold off Late Charge in 11-8 Victory - Missoula PaddleHeads
- Four Homers Are Not Enough in Loss to Kick off Roadtrip - Billings Mustangs
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