Ballers walked off by Voyagers in Friday night loss
Nine-run lead vanishes in fourth straight defeat
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 1 |
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0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 17 | 0 |
By Gareth Kwok
GREAT FALLS, MT – For a second consecutive night, the Oakland Ballers could not hold a ninth inning lead as the Great Falls Voyagers rallied to defeat the Ballers 14-13 on Friday night at Voyagers Stadium.
Oakland (6-10) scored all 13 of its runs in the first five innings. A five-run third was highlighted by a three-run homer from Nick Poss and a three-run fifth was highlighted by RBI doubles from Cam Bufford and Noah Blythe. Tremayne Cobb went 4-for-4 with an RBI single and a double through his first four at-bats. Poss collected four RBI and Bufford tallied three RBI on the night.
The Ballers held a 13-4 lead through four and a half innings.
Starting right-hander Gabe Tanner pitched five innings and gave up five runs on 10 hits with three walks and three strikeouts in a no decision. It's the third consecutive start where he has gone at least five innings.
However, Great Falls (5-11) chipped away with six unanswered runs from the fifth inning to the eighth inning. A two-run double from Will Rogers in the sixth, a two-run homer from Vincent Temesvary in the seventh and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Zack Blaszak pulled the Voyagers within three after eight innings.
Landon Smiddy, Simon Murray and Eumir Sepulveda (W, 1-0) combined for four scoreless innings of relief to give the Voyagers a chance down 13-10 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
With Jake Tirk (L, 0-1) on the mound for the ninth, a leadoff single and a walk led to a two-run double by Rogers to cut the Ballers lead to one. A hit-by-pitch and intentional walk loaded the bases for Anthony Swenda. With the tying run at third and the winning run at second, Swenda blooped a game-winning two-run single off the glove of Blythe in right field to complete the comeback victory for the Voyagers.
The Ballers continue their three-game series on Saturday night against the Great Falls Voyagers. Right-hander Aidan Risse will get the start for Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m from Voyagers Stadium. Fans can tune in beginning at 5:15 pm on the Oakland Ballers YouTube Channel and HomeTeam Network.
