(VOYAGERS MEDIA RELEASE)
GREAT FALLS – The Voyagers had a five-game, season-long home winning streak snapped by Grand Junction with a 5-2 loss Sunday afternoon at Centene Stadium.
Great Falls (18-12) remains in first place in the Pioneer League North, and now sits two games up on Missoula with eight to play in the first half schedule. Great Falls is 14-4 at home this season. Grand Junction (14-16) ended a three-game losing streak, and the Rockies are 8-9 on the road.
After three scoreless innings to start the day, both sides plated runs in the 4th. Grand Junction scored the first run of the game on a one-out double by Coco Montes deep to the wall in left. It brought home Hunter Stovall after he had singled with one out. Great Falls tied it right away in the home half. Logan Sowers walked with one out. And, Corey Zangari banged an RBI double off the wall in deep right-center.
The Rockies moved in front for good with a two-run top of the 5th. A high pop fly to left off the bat of Reese Berberet was lost in the sky and fell to the grass for a leadoff triple. With one out and the infield playing in, Cristopher Navarro grounded a ball to first. The throw home was late and the run scored. Navarro was later picked off at first. Will Golsan followed with a double off the wall in left. Hunter Stovall then drove in Golsan with a triple to left-center that made it 3-1 Grand Junction.
In the 6th, the Rockies extended the lead to 4-1 with a Franklin Garcia RBI double that scored Grant Lavigne. Lavigne had walked with one out. Grand Junction’s final run came in the 8th after Hunter Stovall led off with a double and later scored on an infield single by Nico Decolati. Great Falls plated a run in the bottom of the 9th on a Maiker Feliz RBI single, but left two runners on base to end the game.
Grand Junction outhit Great Falls 11-to-8. For the Rockies, Hunter Stovall posted three hits with one RBI and two runs scored. Ian Dawkins led the Voyagers with three hits and reached base all five times. Ramon Beltre pushed his hitting streak to eight and his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games.
On the mound, Will Tribucher picked up the win in relief for Grand Junction. Tribucher (1-1) went two innings and gave up one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Spencer Moran took the loss for the Voyagers. Moran (2-2) lasted five-and-a-third and allowed four earned runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.
Great Falls closes out its seven-game home stand with the rubber match against Grand Junction Monday night. First pitch is set for 7 o’clock. The Voyagers then travel to Orem for the start of a seven-game road trip Wednesday that will finish the first half. For 2018 ticketing and promotional information, call 406-452-5311 or visit www.gfvoyagers.com.
