McCollough, Dill, and Bay Ice Anaconda, Key Impact Sweep
ANACONDA – Weston McCullough struck out 12 and gave up only two hits in the opener, Nate Dill tossed six gritty innings in the nightcap, and closer Carson Bay finished off both games with sparkling relief pitching as the Missoula Impact Baseball Club swept a doubleheader over the Anaconda A’s, 10-4 and 10-4, last Saturday afternoon in Anaconda.
McCullough used a lively fastball and sharp-breaking curve to stifle the Anaconda hitters in the first game, throwing 5 2/3 innings without allowing any earned runs. More so than any game this season, the senior right-hander had great command of his breaking stuff. He walked only one batter in the first five innings. In the second game, Dill spaced 10 hits and was brilliant in tough spots. Bay was lights out again in relief, tossing 2 2/3 innings of scoreless one-hit ball with no walks and four strikeouts.
Anaconda was resilient in clawing its way back from early deficits in both games to make for some tense moments for the Impact faithful. In the first game, the A’s took advantage of two errors and three walks by a tiring McCullough to trim the lead to 6-4 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth. Bay was summoned and promptly put out the fire by striking out Riley Kriskovich to end the inning. Trailing by a 5-4 margin in the sixth inning of the nightcap, Anaconda’s Ryan Smith and Nate Blodnick singled around a walk to load the bases, this time with no outs. However, the unflappable Dill calmy picked off Smith at third base, then fanned Tanner Cromwell and Kriskovich to escape the jam.
Sophomore Dawson Mentzer led Missoula at the plate with three line drive singles in the second game. Andrew Hall, Hunter Johns, and Cole Smith each went 2-for-4 to key a resurgent Impact offense that pounded out 10 hits in the nightcap after a slow start to the day in the opener. Landin Ramsay keyed the Impact attack in the first game with two hits. Missoula’s shortcoming on the day was its shaky infield defense that chalked up eight errors, but the pitching staff was brilliant in making quality pitches with runners on base.
“I was proud of our pitchers for the way they pounded the zone and worked their way out of jams,” said Michael Hutcherson, Missoula Impact Manager. “We have to tighten up our defense, but the kids will put the work in and I’m confident that we’ll get that straightened out. Anaconda showed some real grit today but we toughed it out and made plays at key moments.”
The first game was a pitcher’s gem through the first four innings with McCullough taking a no-hitter into the fifth and Anaconda’s Cromwell allowing only a flare single by Ramsay. Missoula jumped out to an early lead with three unearned runs, then tacked on two more in the top of the fifth with two walks, a hit batsmen, and two wild pitches. However, Anaconda staged an impressive two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth that was capped by Cromwell’s line drive 2-RBI double down the left field line. Missoula then effectively played small ball in the sixth. Dillon Gunlock drew a leadoff walk, Ramsay laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt, and Bay lined a key RBI single to extend the lead to 6-2. After Bay quelled the A’s rally in the sixth, Missoula put the game away in the top of the seventh. Dill led off with a sharp single and after two walks, McCullough drilled a ringing two-run double to left field. Ramsay and Smith added singles to cap the scoring.
The nightcap played out very much like the first game with Missoula jumping out to an early lead. Mentzer led off the third inning by raking a line drive single to left field. Bay reached on an outfield error, Smith singled to left, and Hall delivered the big hit of the inning, a booming two-RBI double to right-center. Anaconda struck back in the bottom of the frame with a double by Blodnick, a screaming laser RBI double by Cromwell, and an RBI groundout. Missoula tacked on a run in the fifth. Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Kriskovich hammered a monster triple to the wall in dead-center and later scored setting up Dill’s masterful escape act in the bottom of the sixth. Missoula once again piled on the top of the seventh. Smith singled to lead off the inning and scored on an RBI single by Hall, Johns singled to right, and Davin Nau crushed a two-RBI double to deep left-center to ice the game. Bay closed it out with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
Impact (11-3) is back at it this weekend, hosting Anaconda for a doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 at Playfair Park. Missoula then travels to Polson on Sunday for a doubleheader with the Mission Valley Mariners, starting at 1:00.