Shelnut Blast Helps Mustangs to Opening Day Win

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PL Billings Mustangs

Shelnut Blast Helps Mustangs to Opening Day Win

May 21, 2025 - Pioneer League (PL)
Billings Mustangs News Release


The Billings Mustangs (1-0) made it three straight years with an Opening Day win after a 6-3 victory over the Missoula PaddleHeads (0-1) on Tuesday night at Dehler Park.

Shane Spencer got the Opening Day start on the mound for the Mustangs and picked up the win after tossing 5.1 innings of one run ball on just three hits with five strikeouts and four walks.

The Mustangs struck first with a run in the second inning after Briley Knight led off the inning with a double, stole third and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Evan Blum.

Blum later drove in two more runs on an RBI single in the fourth to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, the Mustangs saw their first homerun of the 2025 season when Tyler Shelnut launched a two-run homer out to left center to extend the lead to 5-0.

The PaddleHeads broke the shutout with a run in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Nich Klemp, but the Mustangs got the run right back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Patrick Mills to score Dylan Leach from first after he reached on a two-out walk.

The PaddleHeads made things interesting in the seventh inning against reliever Daniel Foster as they scored a pair of runs and then brought the tying run to the plate with runners on second and third. Foster managed to escape the jam without any further damage after Alec Sanchez lined a ball right back at Foster. If it ended up in centerfield, it very well could have scored two and made it a one run game, but instead Foster caught the comebacker and the Mustangs maintained a 6-3 lead.

Justin Stewart struck out the side in a scoreless eighth and Devyn Lopez picked up the save as he tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the Opening Day victory.

The Mustangs and PaddleHeads go head-to-head again on Wednesday night at 6:35 pm as a pair of southpaws are set to take the mound with Ethan Ross projected to start for the Mustangs and Dawson Day scheduled for the PaddleHeads.

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