PL Missoula PaddleHeads

Osprey win on White's walk-off slam in 11th

Published on August 4, 2008 under Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release


MISSOULA, MT - Maribeth White may not have a better birthday than she enjoyed on Monday, thanks to her son's hitting prowess.

With his mom listening to the game online from her home in Illinois, Ryne White hit a solo home run in the seventh to tie the game, then belted a grand slam to the deepest part of Ogren Park Allegiance Field with no one out in the bottom of the 11th to give the Osprey a 9-5 win over the Great Falls Voyagers.

White finished the night with three hits and five RBIs to pace the Osprey at the plate, and help them get a much-needed win, especially following the tough loss the club had on Sunday, when they squandered a 6-1 lead.

"It was amazing ... I'm just glad we won the game," said White on the walk-off hit. "We're coming together as a team now."

The Osprey (3-5, 12-34) scored in a variety of different ways, including an error on a play at first base, a safety squeeze bunt, a wild pitch and with clutch hitting.

Nelson Gomez also had three hits, all doubles, for the Osprey, and one RBI. Alberto Diaz collected two hits, and delivered the safety squeeze bunt, which scored Bobby Stone in the home half of the sixth to push the Osprey ahead, 4-3.

The Voyagers (3-5, 22-24) would score first, on a sacrifice fly by Mike Grace, but the Osprey would find their way back into the game, scoring four runs in the middle innings. Gomez hit his second double in the fifth to plate a run to push the Osprey ahead, 3-1, but Grace hit a two-run shot off of Osprey starter Brett Reynolds to tie the game at 3-3.

After Diaz's successful squeeze play pushed the Osprey back in front, the Voyagers would score a pair of runs in the seventh. Danny Jordan singled home a run on a slow roller to short, and Kuhn - who also hit three doubles, and went 4-for-6 at the plate - doubled home Jordan to give the Voyagers a 5-4 lead.

The lead held up exactly one pitch into the home half of the seventh, as White hit a hard liner to right off of left-handed reliever Ronnie Morales that just cleared the right-field fence, tying the game.

After that, it came down to who would blink first. And it appeared that would be the Osprey, but Mace, Jesse Orosco and Randy Rodriguez (2-6) would each come up with strikeouts to end the 9th, 10th and 11th innings, respectively, to keep the game in a knot.

Missoula finally touched up the back end of the Great Falls bullpen in the home half of the 11th. Reynaldo Navarro led off with a walk off of Frank Rosario, the fifth pitcher used by the Voyagers. Alberto Diaz then laid down a perfect bunt that rolled on, but not over, the first-base line, and came to a stop right on the chalk line.

Jake Elmore - who possesses the other game-ending hit for the Osprey this season - then laid down a bunt which Rosario fielded, then threw low to first, and everyone was safe. White then hit a 2-2 pitch to the deepest reaches of Ogren Park Allegiance Field - the right-center field gap, which is 401 feet from home plate - and cleared the fence for the walk-off win.

Randy Rodriguez, recently moved to the bullpen from the starting rotation, earned the win after keeping things tied up in the top of the 11th inning. It breaks a three-game personal losing streak for the Osprey right-hander.

The Osprey and Voyagers will wrap up the series on Tuesday night at 7:05. Right-hander Trevor Harden will make his first start for the Osprey, while right-hander Daniel Hudson will go for the Voyagers.

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