HELENA, MT - In the rubber match with the Missoula Osprey (29-33, 10-14), the Helena Brewers (23-29, 8-16) rattled off seven unanswered runs en route to a 7-4 victory on Saturday night at Kindrick Legion Field. Helena had to dig out of a hole after the Osprey struck for a
HELENA, MT - In the rubber match with the Missoula Osprey (29-33, 10-14), the Helena Brewers (23-29, 8-16) rattled off seven unanswered runs en route to a 7-4 victory on Saturday night at Kindrick Legion Field.
Helena had to dig out of a hole after the Osprey struck for a pair of runs in the top of the first. William Gorman singled and Keshawn Lynch homered, his second of the year, giving Missoula a 2-0 lead.
The Brewers answered the Osprey runs in the home half of the frame. With one out, Tristen Lutz singled and KJ Harrison walked. Following a Gabriel Garcia strikeout, Jay Feliciano whacked a bounding ball to short that was bobbled by Brandon Leyton, allowing Lutz to score on the error. Payton Henry single to center in the next at bat, driving in Harrison to knot the game 2-2.
Starter Gabe Friese (2-1) executed a shutdown inning in the top of the third, part of a 6.0 inning outing from the right-hander. Friese allowed just three runs on 10 hits and walked one while striking out two. It was his second consecutive quality outing for Helena.
In the home half of the third, Helena took the lead for good. Nicolas Pierre reached second on a two-base error and advanced to third on a bunt single by Nick Roscetti. Jose Gomez doubled to give the Brewers the lead, scoring Pierre to make it 3-2. Roscetti raced in to score on a wild pitch before Lutz sacrificed to left field, driving in Gomez to extend the Brewers lead to 5-2.
The scoring continued in the fourth for the Brewers. Roscetti singled to start the inning and moved to second on another wild pitch from Missoula starter Cesilio Pimentel (1-2). Gomez shot a ball out to short that deflected off the glove of Leyton, allowing Roscetti to race around third and score. However, Gomez got caught between first and second and was thrown out in a pickle, with some pushing and shoving after the play. In the next at bat, Lutz launched a 418-foot home run, his fifth of the season, to push the Brewers lead to 7-2.
Reliever Brandon Presley picked up the save by throwing the final three innings, allowing just one run on a solo homer to Gabriel Maciel, his third of the season. The Brewers lefty struck out five and didn't walk a batter as part of his first save of the season. At the plate, Roscetti finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Lutz went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
The Brewers now go on four-game road trip, starting Sunday afternoon at 4:05 PM in Billings. Helena sends RHP Harold Chirino (1-4, 7.57) to the mound against Mustangs RHP Hunter Greene (NR). The game can be heard on Newstalk KCAP 95.9 FM/ AM 950, the MiLB First Pitch App and helenabrewers.net.
