Plakke Firepower Leads Missoula Impact to Split of Doubleheader with Anaconda

By Dave Smith

MISSOULA - Orion Plakke clubbed two long home runs and drove in five runs to lead Missoula Impact Baseball Club to 21-11 victory over the Anaconda A’s, earning a split of a doubleheader after Anaconda won the opener, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at Playfair Park. 

Junior shortstop Carson Bay went 4-for-5 in the nightcap to spur an Impact attack that pounded out 16 hits in the slugfest. Plakke and Andrew Hall each had three hits in the second game, and Brennan Labbe drilled a two-run homer and had three hits on the day. Dillon Gunlock contributed two hits, including a ringing RBI ground-rule double, and was also solid behind the plate in nailing a runner stealing. Cole Smith hammered a double off the fence and a line drive single to cap a 7-for-11 weekend. Weston McCullough and Nate Dill each also chipped in two hits.

Starting pitcher Hunter Johns picked up the win in the nightcap for Missoula, surrendering only two earned runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings on the mound.  After Anaconda rallied to cut the gap to 15-11, Bay closed it out with and 1 2/3 innings of sparkling one-hit relief pitching.

After a solid showing in winning the Libby Loggertown Wood Bat Classic tournament the previous weekend and then sweeping a doubleheader with the Loggers on Saturday, Impact came out flat in the first game, committing five errors. Anaconda’s Tyrel Smith spaced five hits in six solid innings, giving up only two earned runs, in a sharp pitching performance. 

Anaconda jumped on Missoula early behind four hits and two Missoula errors in the first two innings. Riley Kriskovich ripped an RBI single and Andrew Tallon hammered an RBI double to make it 5-0 in the second inning. Missoula’s McCullough relived starter Andrew Hall with one out and two on and slammed the door. 

McCullough was brilliant the rest of the way, tossing 5 2/3 masterful innings in relief. The senior right-hander used a lively fastball and good breaking stuff to handcuff the A’s, giving up two hits, no walks, and one unearned run. However, Impact wasn’t able to bunch hits together to get back in the game. 

Gunlock and Landin Ramsey sparked a rally in the fifth with walks to open the frame. After a wild pitch, Bay and Labbe delivered successive RBI groundouts to cut the gap to 6-2. Davin Nau and Gunlock singled with two outs in the sixth but Anaconda’s Smith again buckled down to get out of the jam. Missoula added a run in the seventh on a screaming line drive RBI double by Labbe, but Impact couldn’t dig its way out of the early hole. 

Bay set the tone of the nightcap in the bottom of the first. Down 2-0, the athletic leadoff hitter laced a line drive double down the left field line. Labbe then drilled a two-run homer over the fence in right-center, sparking, immediately tying the game and sparking a new level of energy in the Impact dugout. Plakke reached on an error, Hall ripped a sharp single, McCullough walked, and Smith smoked a high fastball off the fence in right-center for an RBI double. Dill reached on an error, then Gunlock crushed a line drive one hop over the fence for a ground-rule RBI double to cap the big inning, giving Impact a 6-2 lead. 

Kriskovich ripped a two-RBI single in the second to cut it to 6-4, but Gunlock made perhaps the play of the game by nailing him trying to steal third base with the dangerous Tallon at the plate. 

Plakke launched a tape measure two-run home run way over the fence in left in the second inning to open up the lead again, 8-4. Missoula poured it on in the third. Dawson Mentzer walked to lead off the inning, Bay stroked a line drive single, Labbe walked, and Hall delivered an RBI single. With two outs, McCullough hit a rocket RBI single to left and Smith followed with a line drive RBI single to center, stretching the lead to 12-4. 

Plakke drilled another moon shot two-run homer to left in the fifth and Bay laced another RBI single. Bay capped his brilliant day with a long RBI single to left in the sixth. 

Missoula had an uneven day defensively, committing nine errors but also making some spectacular plays. Gunlock made two nice plays at first base, Ramsay made a leaping grab of a liner at second base, Nau recorded a beautiful assist in throwing out a runner at third base from right field, Plakke nailed two runners attempting to steal while catching the second game, and Labbe had an assist from left field to cut down a run at the plate.

Missoula (9-3) will be on the road this weekend for a doubleheader in Anaconda on Saturday, starting at 3:00.