Missoula Impact Drops Pair of Tight Games in Billings UpperDeck Expos Tournament
BILLINGS - The Missoula Impact Baseball club dropped two tight games, losing 7-6 to the Froid Post 49 Bulls and 7-5 to the Billings Expos Red AA in pool play at the Expos Tournament at Rocky Mountain College. On a day of baseball defined by adversity, the final outcome of the nightcap didn’t begin to tell the story.
Instructed to go home for the day due to a massive after thunderstorm that drenched the field early in the Expos game, Missoula was called back while many of the players were eating dinner and the game was restarted in late evening. So when Impact rifle-armed catcher Dillon Gunlock threw a strike to nail a runner stealing second for the final out in the bottom of the fifth to preserve a 5-4 edge in the falling darkness at nearly nine o’clock, gritty relief pitcher Easton Mitchell led the jubilant Impact boys in celebrating what appeared to be a signature win over the host Expos.
However, after a long discussion between umpires and tournament officials, the umpires were given new white baseballs and ordered to continue the game. After a quick top of the sixth, Cooper Stahlman launched a three-run home run over the left field fence to walk it off in the bottom of the sixth well after sundown.
The final outcome tarnished a great team performance. Mitchell picked up for starter Luke Kunz after the four hour rain delay in the second inning and was masterful on the hill, limiting Billings to only four singles over four innings until the fateful final frame. The fiery Mitchell also led the way at the plate with a pair of two-RBI singles, going 2-for-2 with four RBIs. Carson Bay went 2-for-4 and Luke Kunz contributed a monster double and scored what would have been the winning run in the fifth on Michell’s clutch hit.
“I honestly believe that we should have walked away with the victory tonight,” said Impact Manager Michael Hutcherson. “I’m so proud of the grit our boys showed in this ballgame. Baseball is a game of working through adversity. Whether we thought the outcome was fair or not, we have to be ready to play ball tomorrow in bracket play when it matters.”
The morning game started on a promising note with the patient Impact hitters plating five runs in the first three innings thanks to five walks and a pair of line drive RBI singles by Mitchell in the second and third innings. Cole Smith extended the Missoula lead to 6-4 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. However, the Impact bats went silent the rest of the way. Froid erupted for the deciding three runs in the bottom of the fourth, capped by a booming RBI double by Brendan Romo. The Bulls pitched their way out of a jam in the sixth to secure the 7-6 victory.
Dave Smith