Ballers Roll to 16-7 Win in Missoula
Oakland wins in first meeting against PaddleHeads.
By Nevada Cullen
MISSOULA, Mont. -- The Ballers plated 10 runs in the first two innings, ambushing the Missoula PaddleHeads with a seven-run second inning to cruise to a 16-7 victory Tuesday. Oakland collected a season-best 21 hits on the night, coming out on top in the Ballers' first-ever visit to the Garden City.
Christian Almanza set the tone for Oakland with a pair of majestic moonshots in the game's opening two frames. He destroyed a 440-foot cloud scraper to right center in the first for a two run-shot.
At the tail end of Oakland's seven-run second, Almanza blasted a 412-foot, three-run round-tripper to right center, extending the lead to 10-1. In the ninth, Almanza tied his career high with a sixth RBI on a run-scoring single.
Cam Bufford also drove in multiple runs in those first two frames. He got the Ballers on the board with an RBI double in the first, added an RBI single in the second and ended with another run-scoring double in the ninth, completing his first professional four-hit performance.
Four more Ballers recorded multiple hits on the evening: Tremayne Cobb Jr., Davis Drewek, Daniel Harris IV and Lou Helmig. Harris matched his season high with three knocks.
Dillon Tatum's lone hit came at an important time. With Oakland leading 10-6 in the seventh, Tatum lifted a two-run shot to right field, giving the Ballers their first runs since the second.
One of the other turning points in the game came a couple of innings prior, in the bottom of the fifth. Adam Bogosian entered in the fifth for Oakland and allowed the first two PaddleHeads to reach.
At this point, Missoula had scored in each of the first four innings. But, Bogosian induced a double-play ball and a lineout to escape the frame with a zero.
Bogosian also hurled a scoreless sixth and earned his first professional win. Overall, the Oakland bullpen allowed just one run over five innings of work, keeping Missoula quiet during the second half of the game.
In a rare three-game set, the Ballers aim to take the series at 6:15 p.m. PDT on Wednesday. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.
