Mustangs walk-off to stay atop Pioneer League

Posted: Aug 4, 2012 11:03 PM by Casey Conlon - Q2 Sports
Updated: Aug 5, 2012 7:09 AM

BILLINGS - The Billings Mustangs seem to have an answer to everything so far in the second half of the Pioneer League season.

Taylor Wrenn laced a single back up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored Matt Lentz and gave the Mustangs a 9-8 win Saturday night over the Great Falls Voyagers at Dehler Park. It's the club's 6th win out of seven to start the second half, and 9th out of 10 overall.

Billings overcame a miserable day in the field, committing five errors, including four in the first four innings, and a costly fifth in the top of the ninth inning that allowed the Voyagers to tie the game.

Great Falls took a 3-0 lead after the top of the 3rd, but the Mustangs got four runs in the bottom of the 3rd and another three in the bottom of the 4th to grab a 7-3 lead of their own, which they couldn't hold. The Voyagers struck for three immediately in the top of the 5th to cut the deficit to 7-6, and then tied it at 7 with a run in the 8th.

The Mustangs responded with a run in the bottom of the 8th on a Brandon Dailey RBI triple, but Dailey went from hero to goat when he bobbled a ground ball with two outs in the 9th that allowed the Voyagers to tie the game once again. It was that kind of night for Dailey, who made two errors but also went 4-5 at the plate.

Lentz was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 9th, and moved to second after Robert Ramirez reached when Voyager first baseman Brent Tanner booted his groundball. Wagner Gomez then moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt before Wrenn ended the game with the walk-off.

With the win, the Mustangs kept pace with the Missoula Osprey at the top of the Pioneer League north standings. Both teams are 6-1 in the second half. The loss keeps the Voyagers winless in the second half (0-7) after winning the season's first half.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 2:05 pm.