SPORTS

Pioneer League: Voyagers fall to Osprey

Steve Schreck
sschreck@greatfallstribune.com

It’s baseball.

When it came down to it, that’s how Great Falls Voyagers manager Cole Armstrong described his team’s 6-1 home loss to the Missoula Osprey on Tuesday night.

“I’ve probably said it 100 times in all of the interviews we’ve had so far,” Armstrong said, “but it’s baseball. I mean, some days the hops and the calls are going to go our way and other times they are not. Tip our hat to Missoula. They played a good game.”

In front of 1,108 fans at Centene Stadium, the Voyagers (7-4) managed just five hits in their first meeting with the Osprey of the 2015 season. Their bats had been hot.

“That’s the thing that sometimes gets lost is, we’ve been rolling, been swinging the bats well and everything else,” Armstrong said. “Sometimes balls don’t find holes. To me, I thought we swung the bats good.”

Missoula lefty Cameron Smith pitched the final four innings for the Osprey (8-5) and didn’t allow a hit to earn the win.

“He did a heck of a job,” Armstrong said. “To be honest, I thought we took some pretty good swings on him early and they made some great plays behind him.”

The Voyagers came entered Tuesday’s contest riding a three-game winning streak with a record of 7-3, a game ahead of the Osprey for first in the North Division of the Pioneer League Standings. Great Falls had its game with Helena on Monday cut short in the first inning because of heavy rain. The game will not be made up.

After plating a run in the top of the third inning, Missoula added another in the fifth. Osprey shortstop Raymel Flores reached base on a blooper to center field and was later drove in from second after a Kal Simmons single, which extended the lead to 2-0.

After Voyager Johan Cruz opened the bottom of the fifth with a single, Missoula starting pitcher Scott Schultz was pulled for Will Loman. Schultz fanned five and allowed one run.

Joxelier Garcia followed with a rope that caromed off Loman and bounced toward the Missoula dugout in foul territory along the first base line. After a sacrifice bunt by Grant Massey and a passed ball, Cruz scored from third to make it 2-1. Garcia was then thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice.

Great Falls pitcher Evin Einhardt, who was assessed the loss, was pulled for Chris Freduenberg in the top of the sixth after letting runners reach first and third with no outs.

Freduenberg’s first pitch hit a batter to load the bases. His second pitch scored a run. A wild pitch two batters later plated another, and Missoula took a 4-1 lead.

“You could split hairs any which way trying to figure out where (it went wrong),” said Armstrong, who also alluded to a situation in the bottom of the third when Great Falls had runners on second and third with one out but couldn’t generate anything.

“It’s a loss. Sometimes teams play better than you. That’s why we play every day.”

In the same inning, Voyager centerfielder Antonio Rodriguez saved another run after he caught a fly ball in center and threw a rocket to home, which beat the runner.

In the eighth, Great Falls pitcher Dylan Barrow gave up back-to-back doubles to make it 6-1.

The Voyagers and Osprey battle again on Wednesday at 7 at Centene Stadium.