Party Crashed in Missoula; Mustangs Win 9-5

Shane Spencer earns his third quality start in a row to give the Mustangs a 9-5 win over the Missoula Paddleheads. 

Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Dylan Leach to score Jacob Kline. 

Billings extended the advantage in the second on another two-out RBI single by Blake Evans to lead 2-0. 

Missoula catcher Hayden Travinski hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to tie it at 2-2. 

In the top of the third, the Mustangs had runners at the corners, and a double play by Leach scored Kline to make the lead 3-2. 

The Mustangs and Paddleheads jockeyed for position in the fourth and fifth without a run. Spencer left two stranded in the third with two strikeouts, while he struck out the next four batters he saw in the fourth and fifth, and stranded two more runners in the fifth inning. 

The Ponies sent nine men to the plate in the sixth, with back-to-back one out walks by Gary Lora and Brendan Ryan, while Casey Harford hit his second triple in as many games to bring both men home. Evans hit a RBI double to score Harford and give the Mustangs a 6-2 lead. 

Spencer ran out of steam in the seventh, but not before he struck out his ninth batter and forced the second out of the inning. He did give up a pair of doubles before exiting the game. Daniel Willie cleaned up the inning, leaving the bases loaded without allowing another run to keep the Mustangs ahead 6-3. 

Billings got the run back in the top of the eighth on a one-out triple by Kyle Booker, his third, and he came home on a Kline RBI groundout to lead 7-3. 

In the bottom of the eighth, Willie induced a double play after giving up a leadoff four pitch walk to end the inning.

Mustangs scored another pair in the top of the ninth on a leadoff single by Lora, while Harford reached on an error. Lora scored on an RBI double by Blake Evans, while Harford scored on an RBI groundout by Booker. 

Cam Tullar cleaned up the bottom of the ninth to preserve the win. 

The Mustangs send Ethan McRae to the hill Wednesday night. Coverage starts at 6:55 p.m. with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN910/105.5 FM or espnbillings.com. You can also watch every pitch on FloBaseball.TV.