Voyagers 9th inning rally comes up one run short

(Great Falls, Mt.) The Great Falls Voyagers (32-25/5-4) and Idaho Falls Chukars (33-24/6-3) battled it out for the lead in the second half standings of the Northern Division on Thursday night. The Voyagers found themselves down by 4 going into the 9th and their rally came up just one run short of the first ever Home Run Duel at Centene Stadium being a reality.

The game started well for the Voyagers as they scored one run in the bottom of the first inning. Jake Malec got on with a single, then stole second base. He was then brought home on a single up the middle by Derek Kolbush giving the Voyagers an early 1-0 lead after one inning.

That didn't last long though as the Chukars were able to put up one in the second, one in the third, and two in the 4th before the Voyagers got another run in the bottom of the 4th. Christopher "Chino" DeGuzman got the 4th going with a double to center and was brought home by a single from Adam Oviedo. That was the only run the Voyagers could muster until the 7th inning though. The Chukars on the other hand were able to get another run in the 5th and 6th inning giving them a 6-2 lead after 6 innings.

The Voyager run in the 7th came to be as Lukas Polanco hit a fly ball to center field that the Chukar center fielder mishandled and when the dust had settled, Polanco was safe at second base. Polanco moved to third on a single by Malec and came home on a wild pitch. With the one run the Voyagers found themselved down 6-3. Neither team was able to score in the 8th inning but the Chukars picked up an important insurance run in the top of the 9th.

The 9th found the Voyagers trailing 7-3 to start the inning and Polanco started it off with an infield single to deep short. Polanco was then thrown out on a steal attempt of second base and proved to be an important out later in the inning. Oviedo then hit a single to center, followed by a Breydon Daniel single to left. Jake Malec hit a ground ball to short that was then thrown off line to first allowing Malec to reach safely and load the bases. Riley Jepson went down in the count 1 ball and 2 strikes before hitting a line drive that landed on the chalk in right field for a bases clearing double. Kolbush hit a short fly ball to center that appeared to have a chance to drop but the Chukars centerfielder, Thomas DeBonville, made a very nice sliding catch for the second out. With the tying run at second, Michael Deeb came to plate and was able to put the ball in play. Unfortunately for the Voyagers the Chukars second baseman was able to cleanly field the grounder and make the third out in the 9th.

The Voyagers may have come up short on the 9th inning rally, losing 7-6, but the game was another exciting one as these two teams look to battle it out again Friday night. Friday nights action will start at 7 p.m. with the gates opening at 6 p.m. Come on out to Centene Stadium for a great time and exciting Voyagers baseball!!

Written by Ross Drishinski